Knight's Quest
by Sarcasmcat
Summary: Kai is on a quest that will test his limits. Will he presevere or fail? AU KaixRei
1. Chapter 1

A/N: My first fanfic. If you have questions, feel free to e-mail me. Disclaimer: Don't own it.  
  
The ringing of metal on metal echoed throughout the practice yard. Several servants were standing at the fence, avidly watching the two fighters. Red- brown eyes watched closely, trying to determine which way his opponent would attack from. He brought his sword into a horizontal guard across his chest and braced his feet waiting for the attack.  
  
The second fighter brought his shield up and stopped short. His opponent was standing completely motionless with his eyes closed and sword in a horizontal guard.  
  
A blood red glow was developing at the base of the blade, where a red ruby was set in the blade.  
  
Letting go of all finesse he charged at the standing fighter. The glowing sword blocked his downward swing. and the handles locked, leaving the two fighters struggling to untangle their weapons. There was a blinding flash of red light, and the shield-wielding fighter was thrown back against the fence with a resounding crack.  
  
"Damn it Kai! That was uncalled for!"  
  
"If you were actually practicing, then this wouldn't have happened."  
  
The fighter with the shield staggered to his feet and started towards his opponent. A smaller blonde hopped over the fence and got in between the two fighters.  
  
"Tyson, calm down. You're not going to gain anything by attacking him."  
  
Tyson lowered his head, the weak sunlight glinting off of his midnight blue hair. "I know that Max. But who put him in charge of training the knights?"  
  
Kai's voice drifted over them, carried by the slight breeze. "If you must know, The King put me in this position. I wouldn't have taken this position of my own free will."  
  
He turned at the feel on insistent tugging on his armor. Looking down he saw a small boy, one of the castle pages at his side.  
  
"What?"  
  
The boy jumped at the sound of Kai's voice. Looking up he fiddled with the edge of his black and white tabard. Swallowing nervously he managed to stammer out his message.  
  
"The K..King wishes to see you immediately Sir."  
  
Kai rolled his eyes and slipped his sword, Dranzer back into the scabbard that rested across his back. The page scurried away, obviously eager to be away from the stoic Knight-Captain.  
  
Walking over to the fence he vaulted over it in one smooth motion, landing with the grace of a cat on the other side.  
  
*Last I checked I was here to do nothing but train the knights. Although it would be nice to leave court for a while. All the females out for my head are making this stay a less then pleasant experience.*  
  
Climbing the stairs he moved to one side to allow the ladies to pass. One of them shot him a coy look before returning to her conversation. He shook his head and leaned against the wall closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. *God! You'd think I was an exotic fruit! All I want is some time away from here. But no, I have to train the pathetic excuses for knights*  
  
Kai pushed himself from the wall and ran a hand through his hair, pushing the slate colored strands out of his face. He managed to get to the audience chamber without being ambushed which was a miracle in itself. At times some of the more "persistent" of the court ladies would try to enjoy his company. Unfortunately upon reaching the doors the two members of the Royal Guard stopped him, informing him that the King was busy and would be with him as soon as possible.  
  
Turning to the windows he looked out at the landscape in front of him. The sun was well on its journey across the sky, nearing the noontime. Just beyond the wall the city was unusually silent for this time of day. As he turned away from the windows his reflection caught his eye.  
  
His skin was unusually pale, a color usually the ladies that refused to go outside had. Blue triangles adorned his cheeks, remnants of a forgotten childhood. Dark, serious red-brown eyes took in everything around him, down to the smallest, most insignificant detail. Slate colored bangs dominated the front while in the back dark blue, almost black hair was common.  
  
Kai was snapped out of his thoughts by the sound of the door opening behind him. Turning he saw a small man backing out of the room in a deep bow. Something about the man was grating on his nerves. The man in question straightened and turned to look at him.  
  
"Ah, you must be the illustrious Knight-Captain that I've heard so much about. Let me introduce myself. I am Naoll, humble mage at your service."  
  
Kai looked over the man and could see nothing in his appearance that could cause the uneasy feeling he was experiencing. The mage was dressed in black velvet robes with runes and symbols of power embroidered in silver and gold thread. His brown hair hung in limp, greasy strands. He was ugly, with a squashed nose and beady eyes. A scar ran down the left side of his face and ended beneath his chin. Still, the feeling of unease didn't abate and it seemed Dranzer shared his feelings. The ruby was glowing and the light could be seen even through its leather shroud.  
  
Naoll stood on his toes trying to get a better look at the glow from behind Kai. "Oh! You have a possessed blade. How wonderful! May I see it?"  
  
Kai gave him a cold look before answering. "No. I don't like having other people handle my weapons."  
  
One of the Royal Guards came over and bowed low. "Excuse me Sir, but the King wishes to see you now."  
  
He turned on heel and took his place next to the door. The mage nodded and walked off calling over his shoulder "It was nice to meet you. I hope we can talk again."  
  
Kai totally ignored the mage and walked into the King's audience chamber. 


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Don't own it.  
  
A/N: Lots of thanks to my reviewers. I appreciate it greatly. More Inane babbling at the end  
  
The King's audience chamber never ceased to amaze him. It was a long room with a high, vaulted ceiling. White swirled marble pillars were carved into the walls. On one side of the room, floor to ceiling windows let in light making the need for torches during the day obsolete. A red carpet edged in gold ran from the huge double doors to a dais at the far end of the room. At the top of the dais was the King's throne.  
  
It was a monstrous thing carved of black marble. A huge dragon was carved on the back, with two glittering sapphires as eyes. A plush, crimson cushion rested on the seat. The arms were carved to resemble smaller dragons, each holding a large diamond in their open mouths. A smaller throne was to one side. It had been the late Queen's throne and now it belonged to the young Prince.  
  
The King was on his throne looking out of the windows, boredom written on his face. He was in his late twenties. His once black hair was shot through with grey, silent testaments to the rigors of ruling the country. A number of wrinkles marred his once handsome face. His body had gone from the body of a fighter to the body of a man who spent almost no time doing any kind of exercise.  
  
Kai had never liked the man. He may have been king but he continuously showed how inept he was at it. The main thing that had lowered the King in Kai's eyes was the death of the Queen. After the Queen's death the King had announced a three-month mourning period. During that time the country had all but stopped functioning.  
  
Kai forced himself to bow. The only reason he was even here was because his grandfather insisted he serve the kingdom. Luckily his grandfather had died in the winter. Kai was now the sole heir of the Hiwatari lands.  
  
The King finally pulled his attention away from the windows and down onto the knight in front of him. "Nice to see you. When was the last time we had the opportunity to speak to each other." He eyed the young man with a fox- like look in his eyes.  
  
*Not long enough* "I believe it was about three weeks ago, Your Majesty." Kai stood still, none of his hate for the king leaking through his mask. The King slowly got to his feet and walked down the three steps to come face to chest with the knight. He looked up at Kai before turning to the windows.  
  
"First off, I must say that I'm thrilled with the progress you've made with my knights. They have improved greatly. Now I have a little favor to ask of you."  
  
*Oh this'll be good. The last time he asked me for a favor, I was stuck playing nursemaid for the Prince. Not an experience I want to relive. *  
  
Kai remained where he was standing, wondering what the king was going to ask him for. The king turned back, black eyes focused on the young knight standing in front of the dais. He ran his eyes up and down the knight, paying particular attention to his lean form.  
  
"Far to the west of here there lies a great forest. In the center of this forest a tower stands. Inside this tower, is a treasure. It was stolen from my family years ago. It is of the utmost importance that you retrieve it for me. I will warn you however, there is a very powerful warding spell on the tower. How to get in, I leave it to you."  
  
*I've been wanting to get out of here for awhile now. Why all of a sudden do I have feeling this is going to turn into a huge mess? *  
  
"Sire, if I may ask why are you sending me?" It's not that he really cared. Unfortunately the feeling that something was going on hadn't gone away. He would have shrugged it off, but Dranzer seemed to share his feelings. Not much could disturb his spirit, but when something did it was usually something extremely important.  
  
The king shook his head before sitting back down on his throne. "Nothing. I just trust you the most. I suggest you get someone to take your place while your gone. You leave in the morning. You're dismissed."  
  
Kai bowed stiffly and turning he left the room. He avoided the main staircases, instead taking the servants staircases. He arrived in his room and stripped his armor tossing it onto the chest at the foot of his bed with a clink. Pulling off his sweat soaked shirt he started digging around in his wardrobe for another shirt, and a clean pair of pants.  
  
There was a timid knocking on the door and the sound of somebody shuffling from foot to foot. "If you don't have something important to say, then get out of here!" He finally found what he was looking for and pulled his head from the wardrobe. Unlike most people Kai refused to wear shirts with sleeves. He found them too constricting. The only time he wore them was when he had is armor on.  
  
Pulling on the sleeveless, black silk shirt he glared at the page. "What part of if you don't have anything important to say then leave, did you not get?"  
  
The page jumped and looked at the ground. He fidgeted with his tabard before meeting Kai's eyes again. "Sorry Sir. The Duke wanted to know if you would be joining him and his daughters for lunch."  
  
"Unfortunately yes. I mustn't upset my king." The last statement was made with such sarcasm that the page wasn't sure what to say. It was the first time he had heard anyone talk about the king that way.  
  
The page turned to leave but the sound of the knight's voice stopped him in his tracks. "Send the Knight Tala, up here. Tell him it's important." The page bowed and scurried out of the room, eager to be away from the cold knight.  
  
By the time Tala, arrived Kai was just buckling his belt. He glanced up from pulling on his boots when he saw Tala's feet stop outside of his door.  
  
"You wanted something Sir?" Tala's voice broke the sudden silence. Kai stood up, grabbing his dagger from the bedside stand. Ice blue eyes met mahogany and sparks flared between.  
  
"Cut the crap Tala. You have never once called me Sir. I'm leaving in the morning and you're in charge of training until I get back. And don't go easy on Tyson."  
  
Kai slipped the dagger into his boot and locked the door, slipping the key into his belt pouch. The two knights walked in silence, the only sound in the corridor the clicking of their boots against the stone.  
  
Tala once again broke the silence. "So, what are you doing on this journey? Helping our king out with something?"  
  
Luckily before he was forced to answer the Duke came into view, followed by his three daughters. The moment they saw him they turned bright red before hiding their giggles behind the feather fans hanging from their wrists. The youngest of the girls turned to Tala and gave him a shy smile, eyes dancing. Tala's eyes took on a glimmer of madness and after a hasty bow to the Duke and an amused look for Kai, the shorter knight made good his escape.  
  
Kai bowed over the girls' hands. This caused even more fits of giggling between the girls. The Duke seemed oblivious to the flirting. He turned, leaving the grey-haired knight at the mercy of his daughters.  
  
Lunch was served in the castles expansive gardens, amid the first blooms of spring. The Duke was continuously chattering like a sparrow about inconsequential things and his daughters couldn't seem to stop giggling and looking at Kai.  
  
*Never will I marry. I really could care less of my lands don't get passed on. Besides, I think its time the Hiwatari name came to an end. *  
  
Dranzer seemed pleased at this comment and the place where he always resided in Kai's head tingled with the spirit's laughter. Kai closed his eyes and by some miracle managed to block out the incessant giggling. The sound of somebody coming up was what finally caught Kai's attention. He opened one mahogany orb and looked at the person standing over him.  
  
Max looked down with a sheepish grin, his blue eyes dancing with mirth. He fidgeted and the sword at his side glowed with a purple color. He looked down at it and shook his head.  
  
"Sorry to interrupt you Kai, but we have a problem. Draciel, it's not funny!" Kai stood and looked down at the blonde knight, waiting for an explanation. Max looked up at him with a huge smile spread across his face. "Um. well you see, Tyson somehow got stuck in his armor and we can't get him out. I was wondering if you could help."  
  
Kai bowed to the Duke and his daughters, all too glad to be away from all four of them. He had just started to walk away, with Max in tow when the Duke's oldest daughter spoke up. "Oh Sir Kai, will you be joining us for the ball tomorrow night?"  
  
"Unfortunately no. I'm leaving in the morning and I have no idea when I'll be back." They entered the armory to find Tyson standing there a bewildered look on his face. His sword, which was leaning against the wall, was glowing with a blue light and the two could here Tyson's muffled complaints. "Dragoon it's not funny! I don't even know how I got stuck."  
  
Kai looked at the younger knight, a smirk appearing. "Well Tyson. You have managed the impossible. You got stuck in your armor. That takes talent." Tyson's eyes opened wide and he glared at his best friend. "You got him! Of all people you got Captain Sourpuss! I'm never going to live this down."  
  
Kai walked over and looked at Tyson's armor before glaring at the blonde. "Obviously the thought of loosening this strap never occurred to either of your pathetic minds." Max's face turned red and the small amount of Tyson's face visible turned the same color. Kai turned and left leaving the two younger knights to stew in their embarrassment.  
  
Once back in his room, he dug his saddlebags out of his wardrobe and started packing. He packed several shirts, pants, soap, whetstone, leather oil and a small pouch of money and some simple first aid supplies. Placing some small coinage in his belt pouch he took his belt off and placed it on his desk chair. He placed his dagger on the desk and grabbed his armor from its place on his chest. Slowly and methodically he checked each link, looking for broken spots or holes where a weapon could slip through.  
  
Once he had finished checking his armor he pulled Dranzer from its scabbard. The pommel of the sword was shaped like the head of a phoenix. The crosstrees were functional with no ornamentation. The blade was a metal closely related to steel, but was harder and less prone to problems. Dranzer was a hand and a half sword, making it so that he could use it as a two handed sword or with a shield. He replaced Dranzer in the scabbard and set the sword to one side. Grabbing one of his steward's letters, he settled on his bed and started to read it through. Just as he had finished writing a reply to the letter, a knock sounded on his door.  
  
"Its open." He sealed the letter with his signet before replacing the ring in his desk drawer and locking it. He turned to find a runner from his lands standing in the door, looking like he was about to fall over. Getting to his feet he led the man to a chair and got him to sit down. The man took several deep breaths before looking up at his liege. "Sorry to interrupt My Lord but something came up that Steward Vernados can't handle."  
  
Kai poured himself a glass of wine and sat in the chair across from the messenger. "Continue." The man fidgeted and finally spoke up. "Well you see, a band of travelers have settled on some of the best farmland. They refuse to get off and claim that they have the true heir to the Hiwatari lands. They insist on seeing the true Lord, refusing to believe that you are now Lord Hiwatari. They also refuse to listen to us in the fact that you are here."  
  
Kai set his empty goblet to one side, before going to his desk to pull out a piece of parchment and a quill. He hastily wrote a quick note before digging his signet out of his desk and sealing the missive with a drop of wax. He handed it to the man, who was back on his feet, looking significantly better then when he'd first arrived. "I can't come right now. Tell Vernados that this letter will explain it. Take one of the castle's horses." The man bowed before leaving the room.  
  
Kai pulled his boots off and stripped his shirt off before closing the curtains on his windows and putting out the candles. He climbed into bed and pulled the blankets over his head, sleep pulling him into a void.  
  
*********  
  
Pulling himself back to the world of the waking, Kai swung his legs out of his bed and sat there for several seconds before getting to his feet. He quickly made his way to his wardrobe and quickly changed his clothes before pulling his cloak on. Slipping Dranzer underneath his cloak, he dropped the sword belt over his head, settling the blade's belt comfortably across his chest. After grabbing his saddlebags he closed the door behind him and locked it.  
  
Once in the stables he made his way to a stall at the far end. Inside stood a huge, ebony horse. Standing over sixteen hands tall the horse had brown eyes that seemed to take in everything at once. Kai dumped his saddlebags on the floor and opened the stall door. The horse opened his eyes but calmed down when he saw who it was. As he started brushing his horse he let his mind wander. The feeling that something terrible was going to happen hadn't left. In fact if anything, it was growing stronger. Trying to put the pieces together he mechanically saddled his horse and attached the bags to the back of the saddle. The feeling of a warm breath in his hair finally snapped him out of his thoughts.  
  
He scratched the horse's nose before swinging into the saddle. He grabbed the reins and lightly tapped his heels to the horse's flank. Once outside of the castle he turned on the west road and leaned down. "Come Altair, we have a quest." Altair sprang into a trot at the sound of his rider's voice.  
  
*********  
  
Far to the west, in the middle of a forest a tower stands. And in that tower something, stirs.  
  
Glossary  
  
Pommel: the base of the handle of a knife or sword.  
  
Crosstrees: a piece of horizontal metal between the handle and blade.  
  
A/N 2: I figured an extra long chapter was in order. I'm going on a weeklong journey that has a computer but no Internet. I will however work on the story by hand and hopefully upload two chapters when I get back. Sorry if the going is slow but the first two chapters are basically to set up the plot. I promise Rei will soon make his appearance.  
  
Until Next time  
  
Sarcasmcat 


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Don't own.  
  
A/N: Sorry it me so long to get this up. I'll try to get the next chapter up as soon as possible. I decided to up the rating. Things are going to get violent more than likely. Hope you enjoy and review.  
  
Lightning split the sky causing Altair to shy to one side. Kai pulled on the reins, quieting the horse before adjusting his hood. The rain had soaked through his cloak, leaving his clothes to cling. Slate grey hair had ceased to stay standing and was continual falling into mahogany eyes. Altair was just as wet as his rider and the only thing that kept him from being mired was the cobbled road. Lights from town were barely visible through the pouring rain.  
  
Kai touched his heels to Altair's flanks and the horse started down the road. He pulled his cloak tighter around himself, trying to retain what little heat remained in his body. The wind abruptly changed direction, lashing the knight's face with rain. Lowering his head to stare at the horse's back, Kai allowed Altair to take them to the warmth the inn would provide.  
  
The courtyard of the inn was devoid of life; not even a watchdog was visible. Kai dismounted and loosened his saddlebags. A rectangle of light appeared in the driving rain before disappearing into the darkness. A small figure appeared next to him, taking Altair's reins. Kai grabbed the figure's upper arm, tightening his grip marginally. "I want the best for my horse. I'll check in the morning." The stable hand quickly bobbed his head before taking refuge in the stable. Kai picked up his saddlebags and entered the inn.  
  
The common room of the tavern was extraordinarily comfortable compared to the bone-chilling cold outside. Pushing back his hood, Kai surveyed the room. It was rather normal for a common room. Three long tables ran the length of the room, ending slightly before the edge of the hearth. A huge fireplace took up one wall and a fire was burning in it, easily heating the common room. The room was almost deserted, with only two crofters sitting at one of the tables, talking in low voices.  
  
A plump, motherly looking figure swept out of the kitchen, bearing down on the knight. Her brown hair was bundled under a dust cap, leaving several wisps of hair to float around her round face. She wore simple, sturdy homespun, covered by a white apron. Her blue eyes danced with good humor and were surrounded by laugh lines. "What can I get you?" "A bath, room and hot food. Preferably in that order." She nodded and pulled a key from her apron pocket. "First door on your left. Best room we got."  
  
Kai had no doubt it was the best room. A huge, four post bed dominated half of the room. The posts had been covered in carvings of vines and animals. Heavy curtains hung from a canopy. A simple table sat next to the bed with a water pitcher on top. A second, round table sat in front of the fireplace. An empty tub sat in one corner, with a towel folded on top. Kai hung his wet cloak on the back of a chair, before tossing Dranzer onto the bed. A knock sounded on the door, swiftly followed by the innkeeper and his son. The innkeeper was a huge man, amazingly bear-like in appearance. He carried two cauldrons, as though the weight was nothing. He tipped the tub down and poured the water in, not spilling a drop. The son started a fire, paying as much attention to the fire as to the knight. Within minutes the room was his alone.  
  
Digging through his saddlebags, Kai was relieved to find that not all of his clothing was wet. He pulled out a pair of black linen pants and tossed them on the bed. The room was finally warm. He stripped and slipped into the hot water, for the first time in hours, actually warm. At the sound of the door hinges creaking he opened his eyes and looked at the door.  
  
A young girl, no more then fifteen stood at the door with a tray in hand. She bore no resemblance to the innkeeper or his wife. Obviously she was part of a family in the town working at the inn. She set the tray on the table, all the while running her eyes over every inch of pale skin she could see. Ignoring the coldness emanating from the mahogany orbs, she once again took a slow perusal of the knight. Winking at him she turned and left calling over her shoulder. "If you need anything call me."  
  
*I'm starting to feel like a prime stud* Kai dipped his head under the water quickly, before getting out of the rapidly cooling water. Wrapping the towel around his waist he took the tray in hand, setting it on his bed. He quickly dried off before slipping into his pants. The food on the tray was nothing special. A bowl of venison stew, a warm roll with butter and a goblet of mulled wine. The only sound in the room was the crackle and pop of the fire.  
  
The sky was clear; the only hint that there had been a storm was the wetness of the ground. An old wagon rested in one corner of the courtyard, wheels missing. A single dog was basking in the weak morning sunlight, oblivious to his surroundings. The stable was clean and almost completely empty. Altair was housed in one of the stalls, while a grey, long-eared mule occupied the stall next to the stallion. Altair had been freshly brushed and was contentedly eating his hay. Kai opened the stall door, saddle in hand. Within minutes Altair was saddled and on the road.  
  
*****  
  
"What can you tell me about the tower?" Kai took a sip of wine, eyes never wavering from the bald innkeeper. The innkeeper looked puzzled, racking his mind for the answer.  
  
"What tower? There's no tower in town." The knight took another drink of wine, eyes hiding a deep contempt. *How stupid does somebody have to be to miss a tower in the middle of a damn forest? * "The tower in the middle of the forest." The innkeeper's eyebrows rose so high, the appeared to take up residence in the middle of his head. He ran his eyes over the knight, paying special attention to the sword easily carried across broad shoulders. "Oh, you're one of those people." Kai arched one eyebrow at the innkeeper's cryptic words.  
  
"One of those types? Is there something I should know about those types?" The innkeeper shifted under the cold mahogany gaze suddenly feeling nervous. He ran the edge of his apron over his bald pate, wiping away the sheen of sweat.  
  
"Well you see," the innkeeper started nervously "periodically people come through town, asking about the tower. We only know about it because of the people that come through. Nobody in town can see the tower. I think all the people that come are fighters and mages. They all seem to have some kind of enchanted item. There are legends surrounding that tower. No one from town goes there." His eyes once again came to rest on the sword.  
  
"Legends? Care to inform me?" Kai's dinner sat in front of him untouched with the exception of the wine. Dranzer spread his feeling of curiosity to his partner, both intrigued. The innkeeper looked around before lowering his voice.  
  
"Well, since I can remember at least ten times during the mild parts of the year somebody would show up here asking about the tower. We would tell them what we know, which mind, you isn't a lot. They would depart and they would never see them again. Nobody has ever explored around the forest. We're the last town. They had to come back this way. No one did." He got to his feet. "I'll leave you to your thoughts."  
  
*Well that was certainly interesting. * "Well Dranzer what do you think?" Dranzer gave off a light glow, showing his excitement for the forest.  
  
*****  
  
The trees were at least three hundred years old, hulking behemoths. The light of the sun only penetrated so far, leaving most of the forest dark. Moss-covered vines drooped over branches, some hanging nearly to the forest floor. Kai took a lantern from his saddlebags and lit it, carefully hanging it from Altair's saddle. The lantern provided just enough light to see about two feet ahead before the light was engulfed by the darkness.  
  
"Damn. A mage globe would be nice at the moment." The light from the lamp was barely enough to illuminate the ground. Any obstacles on the path would be seen at the last moment, which led to the problem of Altair stumbling and injuring himself. Kai focused his eyes on the ground, allowing the stallion to choose his own path down the road.  
  
"Would you stop complaining? I didn't expect this much growth." Kai hacked at another clump of vines, Dranzer humming through the air. The road had been clear for three miles before becoming overgrown. On some of the thicker vines, scars could be seen, testaments to previous passerbys. No natural sunlight could be seen within the labyrinth of trees. There was no way to tell the passage of time. The darkness seemed to pervade even the air, making it thick, and almost tangible.  
  
Suddenly the trees ended on the right side of the path. A small clearing, no more then ten feet wide marred the uninterrupted vastness. The sky overhead was losing its last light, painted a blue-purple color. Stars were becoming visible, and the quarter moon hung low over the trees.  
  
Once Altair was picketed Kai began his search for firewood. There were a few chunks in the clearing, mostly small pieces more of use as kindling then actual firewood. The pieces off the forest floor were still slightly green, giving off huge billows of smoke when burned. Dinner was nothing fancy, dried meat, dried fruit and a type of bread that kept for insane amounts of time. The water in his canteen was running low, leaving him to ration his water. The fire burned low, casting an orange glow over the nearby ground. The only sounds in the night air was of the wind through the leaves, and the small sounds of animals going about their ways.  
  
A chill wind swept through the clearing, followed by an ear-piercing shriek. Altair nearly pulled his picket up at the shrill sound. Kai surged to his feet, pulling Dranzer from the scabbard in a single, smooth motion. He felt the chill invade his body, settling on his bones. The urge to sleep rushed him in a wave, threatening to drag him into an endless void.  
  
A brilliant flash of red light lit the clearing, driving the spell from Kai's mind. The unsettling feeling of having somebody watch him, washed over him. He sent his senses out to their furthest distances, trying desperately to find his opponent. He felt an insistent pushing in his mind and with slight hesitation allowed Dranzer to 'borrow" his eyes.  
  
"Shit." A figure appeared about ten feet in front of him and too the right. It was lined with red, thanks to Dranzer. Since Dranzer was a spirit he could see other sprits. He could also allow his partner to see the spirit. Most spirits were rather harmless. Only the ones that had died violent deaths or been betrayed ever-showed violence toward the living.  
  
Kai had no doubt that this was one of the violent spirits. It came at him with a single-minded determination. It drifted several inches off the ground, and was almost translucent. The ghost swung a hand at him, only to have the appendage severed by the blade. A low moan erupted from the spirit, raising the hair on the back of the knight's neck. He stood ready, waiting for his opponent to make the next move. The ghost floated at him, swinging its remaining arm. Kai ducked under the arm and stabbed Dranzer into the ghost's side. Concentrating he forced a burst of pure energy down the blade, annihilating the spirit. A final wail was released as the spirit dissipated.  
  
******  
  
The tower rose above him, sky making a perfect backdrop for the black stone. The ground around the tower was absolutely flawless. Grass grew from the base of the tower out to the trees before being engulfed in underbrush. Kai pulled his rolled armor from its moorings on the saddle. He unrolled the oilcloth wrapped around it before pulling it on over his head. He unsaddled Altair, setting the saddle and bags under the tree with his cloak. Once the horse was picketed, he made his way to the towers door.  
  
The door was a simple wooden door with iron bands across it. Kai touched the doorknob and jerked his hand back suddenly. There was a massive build up of magic and he was thrown back, slamming against a conveniently placed tree. Dranzer dug into his back, along with his armor. *That smarted. I'm going to have a chainlink patter on my back. * He got to his feet and moved back over to the tower door.  
  
The king's words came back to him in a rush. A warding spell, and a powerful one at that. Kai looked at the door, trying to figure a way to break the spell. He was no mage and even people with small amounts of magic could perform spells to break wards. Sitting on the ground he closed his eyes, deepening the bond with Dranzer. Dranzer had been around for thousands of years. The knight was confident that his blade would have an answer.  
  
"Are you sure this is going to work?" Kai held his dagger in hand, looking at the sword lying next to him. The ruby gave a reassuring flash before returning to its normal color. He pulled the blade across his palm and let the blood pool slightly before dipping his finger into the blood. Quickly, he drew the runes Dranzer had shown him on the door before stepping back. There was a brilliant blinding flash from the sword on the ground and the door swung open with a creak. The knight went to his saddlebags to get out his first-aid supplies, only to find that his hand was healed. The only reminder was a pale ridge of skin.  
  
Spiral stairs wound up the tower, stopping off at landings leading to rooms with locked doors. Kai hadn't drawn Dranzer yet. With the twisting staircase, he would be able to hear an enemy before they heard him and be able to arm himself. Also if anybody was in the tower he didn't want to frighten them. Finally reaching the top of the tower, he found one final door, hanging partially open. He pushed it open the rest of the way, the door not creaking, for which his was thankful. A huge window was set in the far wall, looking out over the forest. A table sat in the middle of the room with a single chair next to it. Several tall bookshelves decorated one wall. Other small bits of furniture were scattered across the room, in a haphazard fashion.  
  
Kai stepped further into the room, not noticing the figure sitting on the window seat. His eyes caught movement and he turned, surprised to find somebody in the tower. "What are you doing here?" asked the figure, a green glowing light forming at the center of their chest before expanding to encircle the figure. 


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't own Beyblade, the country or Rei's dagger.  
  
A/N: Once again, huge, gigantic thanks to my reviewers. You are the people that allow me to work on this story. ~Rei's thoughts~ *Kai's thoughts*  
  
The green glow continued to grow surrounding the figure. Kai refused to draw Dranzer, not wanting to provoke the person any further. "I'm not going to hurt you. I just want to speak with you for a moment. I'm looking for something." The green glow dissipated suddenly, looking like it had been sucked back in to the body.  
  
He slowly moved over to the window, looking out at the forest. It stretched out as far as the eye could see with no visible breaks. It was the first time he'd seen his host in actual light and his breath caught in his throat. Golden feline eyes looked up at him, curiosity visible in their depths. Long, raven hair hung down his back past his knees, bound with white, keeping the strands in place. Bangs were held back from his face with a red headband, embroidered with a small black and white circle. His skin was darker then Kai's, matching his dark hair well. The boy yawned, revealing cat-like fangs. He smiled sheepishly.  
  
"Sorry about that. I didn't sleep real well last night." He sat back down on the window seat, leaning against the frame. Kai sat down in the chair, turning his eyes to the boy. The boy turned his eyes on the knight. Golden eyes swept over the armored body, coming to rest on bare hands. "You said you were here looking for something, what are you looking for?" Kai snapped out of his thoughts before getting to his feet and bowing before the boy.  
  
"Knight-Captain Kai Hiwatari of the Kingdom of Dalara." He rose from the bow, smirking slightly as the boy jumped to his feet with the grace of a hunting cat. "Sorry, you showed up and I got sidetracked. I'm Rei." Rei's body was lithe, his muscle moving smoothly beneath flawless skin. Kai removed Dranzer from his back, laying the possessed blade on the table next to him. He leaned back in the chair and closed his eyes, blocking out the intruding sunlight. "The king sent me here to." He stopped at the sound of a thump followed by a squishing sound.  
  
Rei was looking at the open door calmly, pupils narrowing to mere slits. Kai picked Dranzer back up, slipping the blade from the scabbard. Rei looked over at the sound and saw the knight tense, blade held easily in hand. "Would you mind telling me what the hell that sound is?" Rei growled low in his throat, a feral look creeping into his eyes. "It's my guardian. I'm not allowed to leave the tower." There was a final squishing sound before Rei's guardian appeared.  
  
A wave of smell washed over Kai and Rei, slightly reminiscent of rotting meat and death. The creature was black, with green boils. The eyes were black with red pupils and were burning with an inner light. It seemed to shift between walking on two legs and four. Ragged, torn wings stuck out from its back, useless for flight. The eyes swept over them, stopping to rest on the knight.  
  
"What isss thissssss?" The creature's voice was thick with malice and phlegm. It moved into the room with a thump and squish, intent on the knight. "Does it matter. Are you going to kill him like the others?" Rei's voice was hard; eyes still focused on his 'guardian'. The creature looked at his charge, the fire in his eyes flaring. "Of courssse. Anyone who enterssss the tower mussst die." He lunged at the knight, who dodged out of the way, hit the floor and came up from a roll in the open part of the room. Rei had sat back down at the window seat, knowing that he would be of no help to the young knight.  
  
Kai had taken Dranzer in a two-handed grip, watching the demon. Claws sprouted from fingers as the creature made another pass at him. He felt the claws rake along his armor, a shrill sound following the claws. Somehow, Kai managed to bring his sword around, the edge biting the creature's arm to the bone. Black blood oozed from the wound, staining Dranzer's blade. The creature looked at the wound on its arm, almost puzzeled. "Thiss isss the clossesst anyone has gotten. You mussst die." The creature moved so fast that it nearly managed to decapitate the knight. Kai moved at the last moment, a thin line of red appearing on his neck. He quickly raised a hand to his neck, drawing away, his fingers wet with blood. A smirk appeared on his face, highlighted by the red glow coming from his sword. "You're going to have to do better than that." Just as the creature turned to face him he stepped well within the creature's reach, drawing his sword across at waist level. Dranzer bit into black flesh, sliding through until it hit backbone. Kai pulled his sword out, black blood dripping from the blade to land on the floor and stain. The creature held its hands to the wound, desperately trying to hold in its guts. The creature's innards started to pulse, growing each time.  
  
Rei saw what was happening and dove behind one of the bookshelves, watching in horror as the guts of his 'guardian' continued to grow. Suddenly there was a muffled thump, as black stuffed sprayed throughout the room coating everything but a longhaired figure. Rei looked over at Kai. The knight was covered in black dripping sludge, having been nearest the explosion. His grey hair hung in his eyes, streaked with black. The only color on him was the mahogany of his eyes. "And what about this situation is so funny?" Rei was leaning against the wall laughing. He looked up, golden eyes filled with tears of laughter. "Sorry. There's hot springs at the base of the tower, just follow the stairs down." Kai cleaned Dranzer off as much as possible and left the room.  
  
*****  
  
The stone slowly moved from smooth, to a rough natural look. Rei walked down the stairs, clothing in hand. No light illuminated the stairs making them more dangerous than they really were. However Rei had traveled the stairs many times and he could see much better in the dark than a human. At the bottom of the stairs was a faint green glowing light. The stairs opened into a cavern, the roof no more than ten feet from the ground. A wide lip ran around the hot spring, interrupted twice by water flow. One rivulet dumped cold water into the pool, maintaining a constant temperature. The second carried away, water from the pool, keeping it from overflowing. A mage light hung over the pool, illuminating the space.  
  
Kai was in the pool, eyes closed looking relaxed. ~Hmmm. Not bad. Of course this is the first time my guardian didn't kill the person. ~ Rei ran his eyes over the knight. His pale skin was green from the mage light, and his hair appeared to be black. "Are you done looking me over?" Rei blushed and put the clothing he was carrying to one side. "I went and got you fresh clothes from your bags. There's nothing we can do to save your old stuff."  
  
"Hn." Was the only answer he got. He let out a silent sigh, reminding himself to be patient. Rei gathered Kai's stained clothing and set them away from the pool. Half- closing his eyes he fell into a trance. The green glow appeared again, this time contained to his hand. He sketched a rune in the air, watching as the clothing on the ground turned to a pile of ash. The green glow disappeared, leaving only the light from the mage globe. Kai watched, his mahogany eyes hooded, showing slight interest. "That was a nice trick."  
  
Rei sat on the ground next to Dranzer and the armor; eyes focused on the far wall. "Its part of my being a neko-jin. All of us have innate magic. Some more than others." His eyes drifted to Dranzer, then to the sword's master. He was careful to keep his eyes above Kai's neck. "Do you mind if I look at your sword?" Kai was about to say no, when Dranzer stopped him. The blade wanted to know more about the young neko-jin. He nodded, watching as the blade came free of the sheath. The ruby in the blade was dull, no light shining from it. The black goo had been cleaned off, leaving the blade to shimmer in the green light. Rei heard a splashing, and looked up, before quickly looking back down at the blade. That single glimpse of pale skin had been enough to dry his throat rather quickly and bring some problems to mind.  
  
*****  
  
"What's behind all these doors?" They had passed a number of doors, all of them locked. Kai saw a shudder go through the lithe form in front of him. Rei stopped, and turned around looking down at Kai. "Those rooms contain my 'guardian's' collection." He turned back around, intent on the climb. Upon reaching a room, one level lower than the top room where the accident had happened, Rei took a key from a hidden pocket and unlocked the door. "This is the only room with a bed. It's the only other room I'm allowed in." He pushed the heavy door open, moving to one side to allow the knight in.  
  
A single, white mage globe provided illumination in the room. The floor had a carpet on it, keeping the chill from the floor at a minimum. Tapestries hung from floor to ceiling, covering the rough stone. A four-post bed, that would fit four people sat in the middle of the room, with a chest at the end. Rei went to his chest and opened it digging through it, before coming up victorious. Kai sat on the bed, watching with hidden amusement at Rei's antics. The young boy had unwrapped his hair and was slowly working through the rich, mass of ebony. He came to a snarl, long, slim fingers slowly working the snarl into oblivion. His hair hung down around his ankles, obscuring his figure. "Um, Kai since we got interrupted, could you tell me what you're doing here?" The knight snapped out of his thoughts, mahogany eyes focused on the far wall. "The King of Dalara sent me here looking for a treasure, that he said was stolen from his family years ago. I don't suppose you happen to know where it might be?" Rei shook his head, fingers deftly braiding raven strands together. "No. I've lived in this tower for twenty years. I've never seen anything."  
  
*That's just great. I'm out here on a wild goose chase. I'll just have to bring him back with me. I can't just leave him here. * The neko-jin finished tying off his hair, before sitting at the window seat. The sun was just setting, painting the remaining clouds pink and orange. The forest was black, no color visible in the trees. The only sound to reach the room was that of the wind through the trees. Rei yawned, and got to his feet, gathering power in one hand. The mage globe went out, plunging the room into darkness. He crawled into the bed, his back to the knight. "Night Kai." Kai settled down, staring straight up at the hidden ceiling. "Good night Rei."  
  
*****  
  
Kai shifted and snuggled up against the warmth next to him. He was used to sleeping alone, and he found having someone in bed with him comforting. Mahogany eyes shot open. Rei was tucked against his chest, the knight's arm draped possessively, over the lithe body. The blankets had some how made it to the foot of the bed. The room was chill with the early morning, which would explain why the neko-jin was curled up against him.  
  
He got out of the bed without waking Rei, and gathering clothes he went back down to the hot spring. When he made it back up to the room Rei was up, eating a bowl of porridge. He picked up a second bowl, looking at the grey, lumpy goop. He raised an eyebrow. "It tastes a lot better than it looks." Kai looked at the neko-jin, who was cutting an apple into slices. "Are you leaving today?" Rei was still slicing the apple, golden eyes never wavering from the fruit. "Yes. And you're coming with me."  
  
Golden eyes widened in shock. "You're what?" He nodded eyes focused on the figure in front of him. "There's no way you can stay here. It's not safe. Pack some clothes in my saddlebags and get ready to go."  
  
*****  
  
Rei stopped at the door, eyes wandering aimlessly over the interior of the tower that he had occupied for twenty years. There were no fond memories of the building. He had spent the time alone, with nobody for companionship. The years had been spent studying, learning to control what little magic he possessed and staring out over the forest. Closing the door behind him, he reactivated the ward.  
  
Altair stood silently, allowing his master to prepare him for the journey back. Kai had rearranged things so that the ride wouldn't be too bad for Rei. The neko-jin had never ridden which, could lead to problems on the road. At the sound of soft footsteps behind him, he turned to meet golden eyes. Rei had dark blue, almost black pants on. Hanging from his belt, was a dagger. The golden handle was twisted into a tiger's head and Kai could see the blade was a crystalline like substance. A blue vest was on over a short-sleeved white shirt, revealing toned arms. Black shoes adorned his feet. His dark blue cloak was rolled up and tied to the saddlebags. Kai swung into Altair's saddle, before pulling the neko-jin up behind him. "Ready?" "Is anybody really ready to leave the place they lived their entire life?" The knight took that as a yes and urged Altair onto the road. 


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Sorry this took so long to get out. I was suffering from writer's block, but luckily it cleared up. I don't know when the next update will be. School starts soon and I'm going to be swamped. Huge thanks to my reviewers. You are the people that convince me to keep writing. Enjoy.  
  
Kai and Rei stopped just outside of the forest, the sky having darkened to the point of not being able to see the road. Kai had just dismounted when an arrow hit the road right in front of Altair, causing the black horse to rear. Rei slid off the back, hitting the ground hard, coming to rest behind the frightened stallion. Kai grabbed Altair's bridle, tugging down with all of his strength. The great horse calmed down, all four feet back on the ground. The neko-jin was getting to his feet, tying to avoid jolting his head too much. A second arrow hit the road at Kai's feet, shattering at the impact. Dranzer was unsheathed, a ringing sound filling the silence.  
  
Rei was sitting back on his heels, a sharp pain in the back of his head, threatening to throw him from the conscious world. With his superior night vision, he could easily make out the form of the archer hidden behind a low hummock. The archer was taking aim on Kai who was standing with Dranzer in hand, looking for an opponent. Concentrating, Rei ignored the feeling of his head splitting and scribing a rune in the air, tagging a small ball of green light on the archer. Kai heard a yelp behind him, and turned to find an archer swatting at a ball of green light with his bow. A flash of red light distracted him from the green light. He shrieked again, tossing his weapon at the knight. Dranzer slid through both, bow stave and string, leaving two halves lying in the field.  
  
Rustling sounds reached Rei's ears and forcing himself to look up from the ground, he was greeted by the faces of five men. He scrambled to his feet, fear overriding pain. His hand flew to his dagger hilt, only to be stopped by a sword point at his throat. One of the other men held up a lantern. The man with the sword smirked, eyes locked on Rei's face. "Awww, is the kitty scared?" Rei's pupils were mere slits, golden eyes burning with suppressed rage. "Not as scared as you're going to be." Came the neko-jin's answer, voice deathly calm. A green light appeared at the center of his chest, quickly enveloping his lean figure.  
  
*****  
  
A shrill scream split the air, disturbing what little life was in the forest. Kai's head snapped up, distracted from the task of cleaning the blood from Dranzer. With a final sweep across the dead archer's body, he removed the rest of the blood. With a single fluid movement Dranzer was sheathed and the knight took off to find his charge. *I shouldn't have left him alone. The only weapon he has is that dagger and I'm not sure he can use that. *  
  
When he came to where he had last seen Rei, he was shocked at the slaughter. One man had been disemboweled; his guts strew across the ground as he tried to crawl away. Another man's throat had been ripped out. The other three men had wounds that looked like they had been attacked by a creature with claws. A flash of white caught his eye, which happened to be Rei's shirt. The neko-jin was sprawled on the ground, not moving. Kai found a weak pulse, and let out a sigh of relief. Rei was alive but just barely. His breathing was unnaturally shallow and labored. Altair was standing to one side, not bothered by the smell of blood. Kai picked Rei up, careful not to jolt him too much. With a small amount of help from a boulder, Kai managed to get into the saddle with Rei cradled in front of him. Altair could sense his rider nervousness and took off in a ground-eating lope.  
  
*****  
  
"Does he have magic?" The healer turned her grey eyes on the knight, whose mahogany eyes were focused on the unconsious neko-jin. He nodded, running his fingers over Dranzer's hilt. "Good. Then nothing is wrong with him other then the fact that his magic reserves have been drained. Give it a couple of days and he should be fine. Just make sure he doesn't use his magic until he doesn't fell lightheaded." She swept from the room, leaving the knight to his charge. Kai settled back into the chair, mahogany eyes focused on the bed.  
  
*I shouldn't have left him alone. There was no way; he could have taken all those men alone. So what is going on. I know he didn't use his magic. None of them were burned. * Kai took a sip of his wine, eyes roaming the room. It was the same one he had the last time he came through thirteen days ago. They had reached the town a day earlier than expected, Kai having pushed Altair has far as he could with out injuring the horse. Needless to say the bald innkeeper had been surprised to see the young knight from the tower, along with another person. He had immediately called a healer and sent them up to the best room in the inn.  
  
*****  
  
~What happened? I remember the five men and then.oh that answers alot. ~ Rei moved lower into the softness, trying to avoid jolting his body more than necessary. He vaguely remembered the last time he had drained his magic. He had been twelve and was bored with the books in the tower, so he had decided to play with his magic. That had led to him bed bound, and sore for five days. Cracking one eye open, he took in his surroundings. He was in the middle of a bed; a down comforter pulled up to his chest. A fire was crackling against one wall.  
  
His golden eyes came to rest on Kai, asleep in a chair with Dranzer lying on the table close at hand. Rei moved to the edge of the bed and slipped out, trying to avoid waking the knight. He moved to the table, picking an apple from the bowl of fruit before making his way back to the bed. A warm hand closed over his wrist, stopping him. Gold met umber and something passed between the two. "You should be in bed." Rei sat on the bed, and pulling his knees to his chest took a bite of the apple. Kai poured him water and handed to him before taking a sip of his wine. "The best thing for me to do when I drain my magic is eat something" he slipped back under the covers "followed by sleeping."  
  
Rei was still for several minutes before he started shivering violently. Kai raised an eyebrow, his peace shattered by the sound of teeth chattering. Rei looked utterly pathetic, golden eyes half-hidden, shivering even though the room was comfortably warm. "Sorry. Without my magic, I don't feel warm." The knight pulled his boots off and moved over to the bed, lifting the blanket. "Move over." The neko-jin moved closer to the edge of the bed. He could feel the heat rolling off of Kai in waves. Kai settled him self into the down into the feathered mattress, before looping an arm around the neko-jin and pulling him back against his chest. "Now go to sleep." Rei nodded and snuggled into the warmth before drifting off to sleep.  
  
Rei was feeling much better when he awoke the next morning. A small amount of his magic had returned, bringing back much-needed warmth. Not that he wasn't pleased with the warm body next to him. In fact it was comforting. His room in the tower was always cold, no matter what he did. Carefully turning under the lean arm, Rei looked up at his savior.  
  
Mahogany eyes were shielded against what little light penetrated the thick curtains on the windows. Rei lifted a hand to the pale face and tentatively touched his fingertip to the knight's cheek, between the two blue marks. The pale skin was unusually smooth, something one would expect from a small child, not a fighter. The blue markings were the source of another mystery. He gently ran his index finger over one of the markings, half-expecting to come away with a blue finger. He stared at his fingertip, which was completely devoid of color. ~That's odd. They didn't come off in the hot spring either. I wonder what it is. ~  
  
"You know, If you scrubbed harder they might come off." Blushing furiously, Rei jumped, well as much as possible with an arm around oneself. He raised his eyes afraid that the knight would be upset with him.  
  
Much to the neko-jin's relief the knight didn't seem upset, but reading him was like reading a stone wall. "Sorry, I was curious. You aren't mad, are you?" Kai cracked one mahogany eye open, eyeing the black-haired body in his arms. Rei's golden eyes were still slightly hazy with sleep, giving him the look of a kitten that had just woken up. He removed his arms from Rei and pulled his boots on before answering. "No I'm not mad." Without a second thought the knight gently brushed his lips against Rei's, leaving a very startled neko-jin in the bed.  
  
*****  
  
Rei shook himself from the daze he had fallen into and looked around the room. Dranzer was still on the table, ruby glowing with amusement. He slipped from the bed and stretched feline grace in every movement. The saddlebags were on the floor at the foot of the bed. ~Damn it. Of all the places to but the stupid things. ~ Reaching down, he nearly fell, balance still off from the magic drain. He steadied himself on the bedpost, waiting for equilibrium to return. Once it had returned he got his clothing from the bag and changed before starting the time consuming task of brushing and rebinding his hair. Allowing the movements of brush through hair to sooth him, he fell into a trance like state of mind. His mind drifted back to Kai and his cheeks flushed red.  
  
/Downstairs/  
  
*What the hell was I thinking? That's just the problem. I wasn't thinking! * Taking a sip of the hot tea in front of him, Kai retreated from the real world into a place where nothing but thought existed. *That ranks up there for stupid things I've done. I cannot afford to get attached to him. I don't want him to go through that pain. * The common room of the inn was deserted, making it easy for him to hear the approaching neko-jin. Rei sat down across from him at the table, nodding thanks to the serving girl as she placed a bowl of porridge in front of him. Kai was relieved that the neko-jin was not acting any different after their little interaction.  
  
The knight got to his feet, leaving several coins on the table to pay for his and Rei's breakfast. "I'm going to do some training, so you're free to do what ever you want today. There's a market in the Town Square. I'll leave you." he was cut off by the neko-jin. "I have money. Don't ask why I would need money after living in a tower for twenty years but hey, I'm not complaining." Kai allowed a small smile to show, before heading upstairs to retrieve Dranzer.  
  
*****  
  
The sun was warm, driving away the early morning chill and slightly helping with the chill that still held tight to the marrow of Rei's bones. He had opted to leave his cloak at the inn, not wanting to have to worry about it. The streets of the town were slowly starting to fill with peasants from the out lying farms and settlements. The flow of people made it easy to locate the Town Square. Stalls were set up in neat rows, all carrying different goods. Candles in one booth, tools in another. The number of the things being sold in such a small place astounded him. More than once his sharp eyes caught females of various ages running their eyes over his body. And needless to say he was pinched more than once.  
  
Rei wandered through the rows of stalls, nothing really catching his attention. He stopped at one stall that sported a variety of cloak clasps and other small metal trinkets. His eyes landed on two cloak clasps lying next to each other. One depicted a phoenix rising from flames while the second one displayed a tiger. He stuck a hand into his belt pouch, running his fingers over the smooth edges of the coins. He managed to get the stall keepers attention and with in seconds had the two cloak clasps in with his coins.  
  
*****  
  
Kai had just reentered town, when he was knocked to one side. Several people rushed by, headed for the Town Square. He had a sinking feeling that he would find a raven-haired neko-jin in the middle of trouble. Slipping through the crowd he came to the edge to find a very large, burly man holding a lithe, raven-haired figure up, at least three feet from the ground. "We don't need your kind of freaks here, killin' our chickens." No one was willing to move against the man. Kai could nearly feel the fear rising from the crowd around him. Dranzer flashed, showing his willingness to fight if need be.  
  
Rei was needless to say, terrified. The man had a death grip on his shirt, and would probably not hesitate to kill him if he tried for his dagger. There was a rustling of movement on the edge of the crowd, followed by a flash of slate hair. The man holding Rei up stumbled to the left, dropping him. He landed on his feet, true to his heritage and looked on in wonder.  
  
Kai had hit the big man with his shoulder throwing him of balance. Dranzer was out, held in a defensive position. The knight had taken up a spot between Rei and the man, who was still trying to get to him. The man moved forward with speed one wouldn't expect from a man so big. He came up short, Dranzer against his throat. Kai's eyes were cold, causing the man to step away even though the knight was shorter and considerably slimmer than he was.  
  
"I suggest you leave him alone. We wouldn't want anything to happen, would we?" He smirked, not moving the blade an inch. He raised his voice, wanting to get his message to the crowd. "This young man," he pointed to Rei " is under Crown protection. I don't want to see anyone harm him." He grabbed the neko-jin and pulled him back to the inn. He pushed him up to the room, locking the door behind him. "What the hell happened? I leave for an hour and you get in trouble."  
  
Rei turned to the knight, fear in his golden eyes. "Its not my fault that bastard can't tell the difference between a fox and a neko-jin. So don't get mad, it's not my fault. I was just walking and he jumped me." Rei was trembling, eyes welling with tears. He sat on the edge of the bed, toying with the end of his bound hair. Kai was still by the door; umber eyes fixed on the neko-jin. He crossed to the bed and sat down next to Rei, not close enough to touch. He watched out of the corner of his eye as Rei fiddled with his hair, eyes closed, desperately trying to stop the tears from falling.  
  
The knight nearly jumped out of his skin when the neko-jin crawled into his lap. Rei wrapped his arms around Kai's neck, threading his fingers through the dark blue hair at the nape of his neck. Kai felt a warm wetness leaking against his neck where Rei had laid his head. He hesitantly put an arm around the distraught, figure, leaning back against the headboard. Rei calmed at the contact, his breathing evening out. He snuggled deeper into the embrace, smiling as the knight's second arm joined the first around him. "I'm sorry I yelled Rei. I just was.. worried." Rei smiled through his tears, knowing it was probably the only time he would get an apology. Kai kissed the top of the neko-jin's head, before resting his head on the raven silk.  
  
*****  
  
Rei shivered, a drop of rain falling from his hood to land on his nose. He leaned forward, forehead against the wet fabric of Kai's cloak. It had been raining since noon and as much as he had wanted to stop, the knight had put his foot down. His exact words had been 'either way we'll get wet. We might as well keep going so that at least we'll reach someplace warm later.' His legs were numb, and his cloak soaked through, causing his clothing to stick to him. The heat he could usually feel of Kai was lost in the small amount of space between them.  
  
He let one of his hands creep under the edge of the knight's cloak, hoping to find some warmth. Moving slowly, he slid one hand under the hem of the shirt, trying not to alert the knight to his hand. He lay one cold hand on the knight's back, smiling as Kai jerked. Kai turned in the saddle, one slate eyebrow arched, questioning the cold hand. Rei smiled, golden eyes dancing with humor. The knight shook his head and turned back to the front, trying his best to ignore the hand.  
  
His hand quickly warmed, causing it to start roaming. He ran the pads of his fingers over Kai's stomach, taking delight in the small shivers running through the hard muscle. His left hand joined the right in the warmth, mapping the warm flesh. He ran a hand up Kai's side, fingers finding a scar, appearing from the top of Kai's pants to curl around to between his shoulder blades. He felt the knight stiffen as he traced his index finger along the scar. He wanted to ask about it, find out who had marred the velvety soft pale skin, but he could feel the stiffness of the lean body and as much as he wanted to know, he didn't want to be on the receiving end of the knight's anger. So instead he slid his hand back to Kai's stomach, lacing his fingers together, palms resting comfortably on the warm skin, lulling him to sleep.  
  
Kai smiled the weight of the neko-jin against his back warm and comforting. He wasn't sure what had possessed Rei to have a self-guided tour, but something had prevented him from stopping the raven neko-jin. *Damnit. I'm getting soft. * He slid one hand into his shirt, gently running his thumb over Rei's knuckles.  
  
*****  
  
The stable boy took Altair's reins not sparing a second glance at the knight and his burden. Kai had the saddlebags in one hand, a sleep neko-jin leaning against him with no interest in waking up. He set the saddlebags down on the wet pavement and stooped down, throwing the half-asleep Rei over his shoulder before picking the saddlebags back up. He pushed the door open, soaking in the warmth from the fire. Rei finally woke up completely, the warmth snapping him out of his prolonged nap.  
  
The first thing he saw was the floor followed by a black cloak and the back of a very familiar pair of black boots. "Kai what's going on? Why am I upside down?" He was unceremoniously dumped on the floor. Golden eyes widened in outrage, meeting mahogany eyes reflecting the firelight with an almost demonic quality. "You were.." He was cut off as the innkeeper's wife; Tansy bustled into the common room. "What happened? I heard a bump. Oh its you." Her eyes flickered from the neko-jin on the floor to the knight before she smiled. "Oh just a lover's quarrel. Here's the room key. First door on the left."  
  
She winked at Rei before going back to the kitchen, ignoring the shocked look on Kai's face. Rei bounced to his feet, grin reveling his fangs. He took the key from Kai's hand, placing a small, quick kiss at the corner of the knight's mouth before racing up the stairs. Kai stood there for several seconds before shaking himself out of the funk he was in and picked up the saddlebags.  
  
The door was unlocked, for which he was glad. He was still wet, his clothing sticking in the most interesting ways. The room was exactly the same as the first time he had come through with the exception of the fire in the fireplace and the shirtless neko-jin on the bed. Rei had his hair out, slowly working through the long, raven strands with a comb and fingers. His hair was still wet from the rain, causing the slate strands to fall into his eyes.  
  
He threw his cloak over the back of a chair, avoiding the golden eyes he knew were following his every movement. He pulled out a dry shirt from the saddlebags, pulling the wet one over his head in one smooth motion. He nearly jumped when a pair of warm hands slid along his waist, brushing the top of his pants. Raven strands drifted over his arms, standing starkly against his pale skin. "Kai, you're not mad at me are you?" Kai shook his head, lacing his fingers with the neko-jin's slightly darker ones. "I can't stay mad at you."  
  
Rei smiled, his head resting on Kai's back, which unfortunately left him to eye the scar that marred the pale skin. Kai felt Rei's hot breath on the scar and stiffened, knowing what was coming next. "Kai how did you get this scar?" He felt the neko-jin lightly run a finger down the scar, stopping where it disappeared into his pants. For some reason the scar was ultra sensitive which lead to everything that touched the scar was amplified. He tightened his grip on Rei's fingers before answering.  
  
"When I was about five years old, I took one of the best stallions from our stable. At that age I was an excellent rider. I had taken the stallion jumping and he slipped. I was thrown from the saddle and knocked unconscious. Aren broke his leg and had to be killed." The knight shuddered as he saw the horse's body in the courtyard. "Grandfather was less then thrilled that I had ruined such a good stud. Voltaire was a sadistic bastard. This was the first time he left a permanent mark. Most of the time it was bruises or emotional harm. This time he took a thin flaying knife and." Rei felt him shudder and he tightened his grip, determined to face this with him. "He dragged the knife up my hip and along my ribs before ending between my shoulder blades. He left me on the cold stone floor, bleeding. I was in bed for three weeks as it healed." Kai fell silent, the dancing flames washing his lean, pale form with golden light.  
  
The silence that formed between the two of them was deep and seemed to clog the air. Kai had not said anything and the silence was driving Rei to distraction. During the entire telling of the story his eyes had never left the scar. He had noticed how sensitive it was on the numerous occasions he had run a finger over it. An impish smile lit his face, his golden eyes dancing with humor. He pressed his lips to the end of the scar, smiling at the shiver of pleasure that raced through the knight's slim body.  
  
*****  
  
The door creaked open to reveal Tansy, light from the hall adding to the shadows in the room. The fire had burned down to coals, leaving the room cold and lights less. She set the tray on the table and lit a candle looking for the room's occupants. She turned to the bed, a smile on her face. Rei had his head pillowed on Kai's chest, his leg thrown over the knight's. Kai had one arm wrapped around the neko-jin. She pulled a blanket from the wardrobe and spread it over them before leaving the room.  
  
***** The valley sides rose high, the sheer cliffs grey and forbidding against the lighter grey sky. The road dropped down to the valley floor green-brown grass spreading out for miles, broken only by small farms. A large castle sat on a low bluff, the river glinting silver in the weak sunlight. Rows of trees could be seen in the distance, bare branches reaching into the sky like skeletal hands. No villages were visible but Rei was certain that there were some in the many miles in and around the valley.  
  
The courtyard of the castle was huge, with numerous doors leading to the interior of the castle. Several horses were at a saddling post, waiting to be put back in their stalls. Rei jumped from Altair's back, landing with liquid grace on the slippery paving stones. Kai dismounted reins in hand. "You're going to fall doing that one of these days. I don't see why you don't dismount like a normal person." Rei smiled, flashing his fangs at the knight. "You're bent on spoiling my fun aren't you?" At Kai's nod he frowned before smiling again. "Oh well. So you own all of this."  
  
Kai nodded again, pushing back the memories that surged against his self- built wall. "Welcome to Hiwatari Castle." 


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: Don't own it.  
  
A/N: Sorry this took so long. I stupidly took eight classes this year, so my writing has been placed in the back. Also I've been trying to get a second part to Moonlight Contemplation out.  
  
This chapter is dedicated to my friend Kat. I don't know what I would do with out her.  
  
A page dressed in red and black bowed to Kai before taking Altair's reins, leading the black stallion to the stables. Several servants walked by, lowering their heads at the sight of Kai. "Ah Lord Hiwatari, welcome back." Kai and Rei turned to find a short, round man waddling towards them as fast as possible. Rei moved closer to the knight. Something about the man was ruffling against his nerves. The man bowed to the knight before straightening up. His black eyes moved to the neko-jin before returning to Kai. "Vernados, you call me Lord Hiwatari again, I'm going to replace you. That was my Grandfathers title." Kai's mahogany eyes were frigid, causing the steward to fidget. The steward bowed a second time. "I'm sorry Lord. I didn't mean to upset you."  
  
Kai moved past the steward, Rei close behind to enter the main doors. Several stairs led down to the hall of the great floor. A fireplace took up one wall, containing nothing but coals. A smaller table sat on a dais across from the fire. A huge black and red serpent tapestry covered the wall behind the high table.  
  
Halfway across the room, the knight and the neko-jin were stopped by a slight female in green wool. Her dirty blonde hair was braided and pinned in coils around her head. Blue eyes were set to close in a mouse like face. She curtsied to the knight, taking no notice of Rei. "Good Morning Lord Hiwatari. I'm Lady Adiel; you're mother's cousin's aunt's daughter. I journeyed here to see you, only to find you were at court."  
  
"You came to see me?" She jumped at the sound of Kai's deep voice, a blush spreading across her face. She nodded, blue eyes bright with joy. "Yes. I came to marry you." Rei's golden eyes widened in shock, body starting to tremble at the thought. A single, aristocratic slate eyebrow rose, mahogany eyes revealing nothing. "Really?" She nodded again, her slight body straightening with anticipation. "Then someone must have misinformed you. I have no need for a wife." Kai's voice and face were totally impassive.  
  
The neko-jin let out a sigh of relief that was missed by all but the knight. He turned to look at the neko-jin, who was sporting a blush across the bridge of his nose. The knight gave Rei a slight smile before turning to the steward who still stood at his left. "Verandos, I want my grandfathers room sealed. Nobody is to enter."  
  
Verandos shifted from foot to foot and tugged on his tunic before meeting Kai's eyes. "Well you see my Lord, our house mage died not long after your grandfather. No one here can seal the room." Kai resisted the urge to slam his hand into the nearest wall. * This castle is full of incompetent people. It's a wonder it's still standing. * Kai was about to speak when a soft voice cut through.  
  
"Kai, I can seal the room. I just need more power." All three turned to look at the neko-jin. The steward and Adiel both looked shocked at the way Rei addressed Kai. The knight would have had a talk with anyone who wrongfully addressed him, but Kai seemed to let it slid with the neko-jin. He slipped Dranzer's belt over his head, wrapping it around the scabbard. He handed the sword to Rei. "Use him. And if he doesn't help.." a smirk appeared on his face and he waved a page over "feel free to dump him in the well. Show Rei to Voltaire's room."  
  
The page led him up a flight of stairs to a room at the top of the north tower. The door to the room was at least ten feet tall, black in color with iron bands. Rei unsheathed Dranzer, handing the scabbard and belt to the page. He held the blade in his left hand, tip almost touching the ground. He raised his right hand, green power glowing around the slender digits. The green light flowed to the door, running around the door jam before slowly starting to close over the door. The green flow slowly tinted with red as Rei's magic drained to be replaced by Dranzer's. The neko-jin wrote a finally binding rune in the air. He slumped down, only the sword keeping him from falling. One golden eye fixed itself on the possessed blade.  
  
"Dranzer, could you give a little magic up?" He didn't expect a reply and was surprised when a blood red flash spread through out the landing. He leaned back against the wall, sword across his lap. "Thanks. I'm not sure I would have made it down the stairs." The ruby glowed briefly before going back to its original color. Rei braced himself against the wall, slowly getting to his feet. The magic Dranzer had supplied him with helped, but he wouldn't be totally steady for another couple of days.  
  
The page was still at the top of the stairs, blue eyes wide with shock and a slight amount of fear. He watched Rei weave on his feet and hurried to his side. "Sir, are you okay?" He nodded and took the sheath from the page, slipping Dranzer into his resting-place. He slipped the belt over his head. The sword hung a little low on his back, one of the side effects of not having handled a sword for his entire life. "Could you show me to the kitchen?" The page nodded and took off down the stairs like a shot, leaving Rei to make his way down alone.  
  
The kitchen was full of activity. People were running back and forth stirring things and taking things out of the ovens. An old lady stood in the middle of the kitchen, waving a wooden spoon around and shouting orders to the horde of kitchen workers. Her face had several streaks of flour and her dress was covered in various stains. The page darted through the crowd and tugged at the cook's skirt. He could see the old lady's eyes focus on him and he watched in amazement as the various kitchen workers moved out of her way. She ran her eyes over him, resting her eyes on the sword before meeting his eyes. She leaned down to the page and whispered something before straightening up. She pointed the spoon at him and gestured to a chair. "You're far to skinny. Sit and eat." The page reappeared with a bowl of stew and a small loaf of bread. He set the bowl in front of the neko- jin, which earned him a small piece of crystallized fruit from the cook. She watched him go, a smile smoothing out the wrinkles of her face.  
  
"He's my grandson. I'm glad that he has a place to stay." She turned back to Rei, eyes on Dranzer. "Is there any particular reason you have Lord Kai's sword? He usually doesn't let anybody lay their hands on it, let alone take it out of his sight." Rei shook his head and took a bite of the stew. "Are you trying to fatten my neko-jin Lettie?" Kai's voice easily cut through the noise of the kitchen. Rei suppressed a shiver at the sound of Kai's voice, especially the way he'd said my. Lettie stood on tiptoes and kissed Kai on the cheek before handing him a piece of crystallized fruit. The knight took the fruit and hopped up on the table next to Rei's bowl.  
  
"I see you didn't toss him in the well. I was hoping that you would so I could find a less bossy sword." The ruby flashed before going dark. Kai grabbed Rei's goblet and took a drink before looking at it strangely. He tipped the goblet at Lettie, one eyebrow raised in question. "Water?" She pointed at Rei, who's face was red. Kai cocked his head to one side; mahogany eyes focused on the blushing neko-jin. "Kai, I've lived in a tower for twenty years. Do you really think I've had access to wine?" Kai nodded and ate the rest of his crystallized apple before getting off the table. He pulled Dranzer over Rei's head; hand brushing the raven strands, sending chills through the slim body. Kai settled the blade back in place, hilt protruding over his left shoulder.  
  
"You got the door sealed?" Rei got to his feet before the world started spinning. He felt himself falling only to be stopped by a pair of strong, pale arms. He started shivering, not as violently as the first time but enough to throw his balance off. He felt Kai lift him up and he snuggled against the warm, broad chest. He looked up with hooded eyes, golden color barely visible. "Does that answer your question? Nobody with out magic can break the seal. You could because Dranzer's magic is part of it." His shivering returned with a vengeance, wracking his slim form. Kai set him down briefly, pushing a door open before picking him back up. Rei sunk down into the bed, watching as Kai pulled off his shoes followed by the knight's boots. Rei clambered under the blankets, pulling them up around his chin.  
  
The room was circular, with a single heavily curtained window facing out over the river. The floor was covered in thick rugs and the walls were draped in tapestries to keep the chill down. An ornately carved chest sat at the foot of the bed. A huge fireplace dominated one wall, fire burning cheerfully in it. The tapestries on the walls depicted battles of human against human and human against mythical creature. He felt the bed shift, before warm hands slid under his shirt. The white fabric blocked his vision and he watched as it landed on the chest. He was pulled back against a very warm, bare chest. A hand slid down and rested on his stomach. The slim fingers spread to their full width, the pale standing out against his darker skin. He picked the hand up and turned it over, running his fingers along the lines.  
  
A ridge of skin caught his eye and he ran a finger over it, eliciting a shiver from the knight, which he felt. "How did you get this?" Kai leaned over, pressing against Rei's back. "I got that when I broke the ward on the door." Rei turned as much as possible to face the knight, golden eyes wide. "You used blood? I'm sorry." The neko-jin wrapped his arms around the knight's slim waist, eyes filling with tears. Kai didn't answer but instead pulled the Rei closer, trying to keep him from crying. He could deal with things trying to kill him, but give him somebody that was emotional upset and he was at a total loss of what to do. * I'm such a bastard. That's the second time he's started crying because of something I've done. * He just let Rei cry, staying silent, but at the same time trying to be supportive. The whimpers became less frequent before disappearing altogether. His breathing evened out and deepened, a sure signal he was asleep.  
  
He brushed a feather light kiss across Rei's temple before untangling himself from the neko-jin's tight grip. He pulled his boots back on, followed by an ugly brown long sleeved shirt. He unrolled his armor from its oiled leather cover and pulled it one. Dranzer took his customary spot across his back. A smirk spread across his face as he closed the door behind him. * Let's see if my guards are any better then my management. *  
  
*****  
  
The sound of clinking penetrated his sleep-fogged mind, forcing him to open his eyes. He lay there for several seconds blinking owlishly before his eyes focused. Kai was sitting on the floor in front of the fireplace, running his fingers over his armor. The sun was high in the sky, casting its light into the room. Kai's hair looked to be silver in the light and his pale skin held an ethereal glow. "What time is it?" Kai looked over at the bed, a small smile curving his lips. The only thing visible of the neko- jin was raven locks, standing out against the linen sheets and two sleep hazed golden eyes. "Shortly after noon. Lunch is on the table." Rei sat up and moved to the edge of the bed, stretching to reach his shirt. He could feel Kai's eyes on his back and was glad that his back was to the knight. He pulled his shirt on and went to the table.  
  
Lunch consisted of a platter of cheese, bread and apples. A small goblet and flask sat next to the plate. He looked at it before looking at the knight, a puzzled look on his face. Kai didn't bother looking up from his armor. He had found a small hole and was running a piece of wire through to fix it. "Its cherry liqueur. Lettie makes it herself. Go easy on it, it's potent." Rei uncorked the flask and poured some of the scarlet liquid into the goblet. The scent of cherries permeated the air around him, reminding him of the cherries he got at the tower. He hesitantly lifted the goblet to his lips, letting some of the scarlet liquid pass. It tasted faintly of the red fruit along and was extremely sweet. Rei drained the goblet before pouring a second goblet full.  
  
Kai wrapped his strong arms around the neko-jin, who started with faint surprise. Rei turned and found himself staring deeply into the mahogany eyes. Kai could smell the warm sweet scent of cherries wafting up from Rei's mouth. They were only a fingernail's width away from his. Rei took the initiative and kissed Kai full on the mouth, marveling over how soft, such a hard knight's lips could be. Kai slid his tongue into Rei's mouth, tasting the sweet cordial and the neko-jin's own unique taste. A knocking on the door pulled them apart, Rei flushing a brilliant crimson. Kai smiled the first genuine smile in along time. He laid his forehead against the neko-jin's; umber eyes meeting passion hazed gold. "You taste like cherries." The knight opened the door to reveal Lettie's grandson. "Rei this is Arthur. He'll show you around the castle and show you you're room." He winked, leaving the neko-jin to blush again.  
  
*****  
  
Dinner was a trying affair, leading Rei to develop a headache. The guards were overly loud, filling the hall with the sounds of happy men and clattering plates. The high table was silent. Any attempts at conversation would have been lost in the uproar. Lady Adiel's gown plunged perilously low, an obvious attempt to snare Kai. Even after the embarrassing rebuke today she still was hell bent on getting the rich noble. The neko-jin slipped from the hall up to his room, the noise proving too much for him. The only person to notice his disappearance was Kai.  
  
*****  
  
Kai was certain that he had gone to bed alone last night. That however failed to explain the extra body in his bed or the warmth on his chest. He looked down and his gaze was met with a mass of raven silk. Rei's head was pillowed on his chest, braid behind him, standing out against the linen sheets. He stretched and yawned, revealing his fangs. Sleep hazed gold met mahogany. "Morning Kai." Warm breath ghosted across his skin, causing muscles to tighten in response. He wrapped an arm around the neko-jin, pulling the lithe body as close as possible.  
  
"Care to tell me why you're in my bed?" Rei closed his eyes, curling against the warm body. "I had a nightmare." A slate eyebrow rose, silently questioning. Golden eyes remained closed hiding the pain. "I woke up and you weren't there. So, I found my way here and crawled in with you." Kai was surprised that Rei had made it to his room. He knew from experience that Rei's sense of direction was slightly skewed.  
  
The neko-jin, as though reading Kai's mind answered. "I followed your scent." The knight's eyebrow rose higher, eyes puzzled. "And pray tell, what do I smell like?" Rei opened his eyes, golden depths dancing with happiness. He stretched up, nose against Kai's neck. He pulled back slightly, lips grazing pale skin. "You smell like," he paused in thought "outside, spicy, free." He yawned again, light catching his fangs.  
  
"Go back to sleep. Its still shortly before dawn." Rei snuggled back down into the bed until all that remained visible was his hair. Kai got out from the bed and opened the chest at the foot of the bed. He set aside a piece of red and black fabric, revealing the contents of the chest. The clothing in the chest was all black. He pulled out a pair of fine linen pants, a black silk shirt and a cloth bundle. He changed out of his sleeping pants and pulled his boots on, when knocking at the door broke the silence. The knight opened the door to reveal his steward. Verandos bowed before meeting the cold mahogany orbs. "My Lord, your entourage is ready." Without acknowledging the man, Kai closed the door, almost wishing to be back at court.  
  
A low, thrumming sound filled the room. Kai looked around, searching the room. Mahogany eyes settled on Rei, who was propped up against the headboard, golden depths riveted on the knight. "You purr?" The neko-jin ducked his head, a blush spreading across the bridge of his nose. "Only when I'm content. And I'm content." He raised his head, golden eyes smoldering with desire. Eyes raked over the lithe body, lingering on the flat stomach, strong chest and toned arms. Rei knew that most fighters developed bulky muscles after years of training. Kai seemed to have avoided that fate. His muscles were finely chiseled and lean adding to the slim look that hung around him. He watched in rapt fascination as Kai pulled his shirt on, muscles moving smoothly under velvet skin. The knight unrolled the cloth bundle, black leather and metal revealed. He pulled one on, fastening the strap just below his elbow. A second strap fit at the base of his middle finger, preventing the guard from slipping down. The metal framed his elbow, a small piece on either side of his elbow with a longer piece covering the joint.  
  
He pulled on the second guard before settling Dranzer in his customary place. His cloak was draped over the back of a chair, reminding the neko- jin of the cloak clasp in his belt pouch. He jumped up from the bed and opened the door, bounding out of the room with feline grace. The knight looked at the open door, at a loss for words. Rei was back several minutes later fully dressed, hair bound. Kai stood still as the neko-jin swung the black cloak around his shoulders, fastening the cloak clasp just below the hollow of the knight's throat.  
  
Rei stood back, breath hitching in his throat. Kai looked the epitome of a barbarian god. He was dressed entirely in black and silver, the only colors the mahogany of his eyes and the blue marks. The only evidence of a weapon was the belt that looped over his chest, before disappearing into the darkness of his cloak. The black silk, sleeveless shirt clung to his torso like a second skin, not hiding the hard muscle. The knight ran a hand through his hair, brushing the more unruly strands back in place.  
  
*****  
  
Altair shifted slightly, hoofs rustling the grass. Kai touched his hand to the stallion's neck, the great horse quieting. *What the hell is taking so long? I don't have all goddamned day. * He could here the guards behind him shifting, anxiously awaiting the arrival of the Thurians. The meeting had been for shortly after dawn but the nomads had yet to show up. At this rate he could have gone back to sleep with Rei and the two of them would be comfortably curled up, oblivious to the world around them.  
  
The neko-jin was currently back with the guards, out of the way of any possible betrayal. And Kai was sorely missing his presence. Sitting on a horse for two hours with no company was not high on his list of fun things to do.  
  
Whispers ran through his soldiers, indicating the arrival of the Thurians. There were at least twenty of them all mounted on sturdy mountain ponies. The leader was an old man. White hair framed his wrinkled face, making his eyes looker deeper set then they actually were. There was something about the man that reminded Kai of his own grandfather. It may have been the dark eyes, cunning showing through the thin layer of respect. The old man dismounted and Kai followed suit, towering over the wizened man. A woman in mage robes and a heavily veiled figure stood to the left and behind the old man.  
  
"Lord Hiwatari." The man's reedy voice broke the silence, contempt audible in his every syllable. Kai showed no sign that he heard the man, mahogany eyes focused on the mage and veiled figure. He nodded to the mage, ready to end the conference. His deep voice carried to his soldiers and the Thurians. "This Mage of the Thurian Nation will cast a truth spell, so that we may determine the true Hiwatari heir." The mage nodded her assent, power gathering around her short figure. The magic flowed from the mage to the knight, coloring the air around him an orangish color.  
  
The whole basis behind the spell was that if the person under the spell lied, the color would change. She nodded, straining to keep the spell in place. "This marks," he touched an index finger to one of the blue triangles, "mark the Hiwatari heir. A spell was placed on me at birth. If I were the true heir, at the time of my first birthday these marks would appear. Obviously it worked." Not once did the color change. Kai turned to the old man, mahogany eyes cold. "I want you off my land within a fortnight. If you're not gone, I will have every last man killed." The knight remounted, motioning for his soldiers to follow.  
  
*****  
  
The rain was still falling, so fine that it looked to be silver in the dim sunlight. Rei was leaning against the headboard, piece of charcoal in one hand, smooth board across his lap with a piece on paper; eyes focused on the knight. Kai seated next to the window, slim fingers running over Dranzer's blade, weak sunlight making them both glow. The neko-jin's golden eyes darted back down to the paper, charcoal stick moving across the paper. The only sounds in the room were the slight scratching of charcoal on paper and the crackling of the small fire. Rei took on final look at the knight before finishing the picture. He placed his name at the bottom of the picture, hidden among the stones.  
  
"Kai, it's stopped raining." Kai looked up from Dranzer, straight into the golden eyes of the resident neko-jin He slipped the sword back into its sheath and set it to one side before stretching. Rei's eyes sparkled with hope and the knight sighed, unable to resist the look. "Go put some old clothes on." The raven-haired neko disappeared out of the room, footsteps oddly absent. Kai stripped his silk shirt off and tossed it on the bed before pulling on a plain black shirt followed by black cotton pants. He placed a knife in his boot, having decided not to take Dranzer. The blade had given him hell before deciding that Kai needed alone time with Rei. He tossed Dranzer on the bed, when Rei's piece of paper caught his eyes.  
  
He picked it up eyes widening in surprise. It was a picture of him sitting in the window, Dranzer resting across his legs. Every detail was perfect from his clothing to the rocks of the window. He lay the picture back on the bed, and left the room locking the door behind him.  
  
*****  
  
"You know, if this keeps happening I'm not going to ride again." Rei looked up at the overcast sky, not trying to free himself from his sticky prison. He and Kai had gone out riding after it had stopped raining. Somehow they had ended up in the middle of an empty, barren muddy field. Things had been just fine until something had come up under Altair's hooves, causing the horse to start, which in turn ended with Rei thrown from behind Kai to land in mud.  
  
"Are you planning on getting up or are you just going to lay there all day?" Kai's head appeared above the neko-jin, smiling at Rei. He held one hand up, trying his best to ignore the fluttering in his stomach when pale fingers wrapped around his wrist, easily pulling him to his feet. The knight turned his back on the neko-jin, walking back to Altair. Rei bent down and scooped up a handful of mud, golden eyes focused on the knight  
  
~I must have a death wish. ~ He threw the mad ball, stifling a laugh as Kai stopped walking, mud clinging to his back. Rei plastered an innocent smile on his face; sharp eyes catching ire mixed with humor in mahogany eyes. Kai knelt down eyes never leaving the neko-jin as he gathered mud. "You really want to die, don't you?" He asked voice calm. The knight stood, eyes locked on the figure in front of him. Rei shifted slightly to his right foot, ready to make a dash for it if need be. Kai watched Rei and noticing the tensing in his muscles tossed the mud to one side, before tackling him.  
  
They went down in a mass of limbs, Rei on the bottom struggling to get out from underneath the knight. Kai braced himself on his forearms, laughing to hard to actually manage to get all of his weight off the startled neko-jin. Rei was acutely aware of the warm body hovering only inches above him, the warmth comforting. Gold met mahogany and Rei smiled, eyes filled with humor and some other deeper emotion. He wriggled slightly; cloth covered skin brushing against each other. "This is actually comfortable. I could get used to this."  
  
Rei smiled at the stunned look on Kai's face at his comment. The smile rapidly disappeared when a pale hand rubbed mud into his hair. "What the hell was that for?" Kai got to his feet, pulling the angry neko-jin up with him. He shrugged, a smirk spreading across his face. "Nothing." He remounted Altair, offering a hand to Rei. Rei took the hand, stepping on the stirrup that contained Kai's foot, not offering an apology.  
  
*****  
  
Rei shivered, wrapping his arms around himself in an effort to keep warm. The wind blew from the north, carrying the chill of the eternally snow capped mountains. He berated himself for not having grabbed his cloak or even a second cloak. At the present he had on warm pants and one of Kai's long sleeved shirts, which was soaked through because of his hair. As soon as they had gotten back from their ride he had gone straight to the bathhouse. It had taken him two hours to clean all of the mud from his hair. When he had gone to the room it was empty, with the exception of Dranzer. The ruby flashed once in welcome before going dark. So Rei had ended up on the castle wall, looking out over the vast Hiwatari lands.  
  
Warm, strong arms wrapped around his waist, drawing him back against a warmer body, black fabric draping around him. Kai rested his head on Rei's shoulder, looking out over the orange stained mountains in the distance. The silence between them was comfortable, like that of long time friends or lovers. Guards on wall duty passed them with smiles, glad that the lord of the castle was content for once in his life.  
  
"Why weren't you at dinner?" Rei leaned back, letting the knight support him. "I ate in the kitchen. Eating in the hall gives me headaches. You're not mad are you?" Kai shook his head, slate hair brushing against the neko- jin. He brushed his lips over the tip of Rei's pointed ear, feeling Rei shiver against him. "Come on. We leave in the morning." Kai took Rei's hand, leading him back to the castle  
  
*****  
  
The sound of a lock clicking drove through Rei's sleep hazed mind, jolting him back to the waking world. He was about to whisper when warm fingers pressed against his lips, effectively silencing him. Although there was little light in the room, his neko-jin heritage allowed him to see almost as well as if it was daylight. The door to the room slowly opened hinges squeaking slightly. Candlelight spilled on the foot of the bed and glinted off a dagger blade. 


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I don't own it.  
  
A/N: Well, this story is coming to a close. I figure one more chapter after this one and then it will be over. Oh well. I have two other to work on. I hope you all enjoy this chapter. Read, Enjoy and Review.  
  
The candlelight glinted off the blade of the dagger, freezing Rei in his spot. Kai rose into a half-crouch, legs tensing against the mattress. The candle was lifted higher, throwing Verandos' face into sharp relief. Verandos' eyes held a slightly mad look, candlelight flickering off of the black with an almost demonic quality. "You must die Kai Hiwatari. You and your Cat Whore." The knight lunged at the steward, keeping one eye on the knife.  
  
They hit the floor hard, Verandos breaking Kai's fall. The candle rolled from the man's hand sputtering against the floor before dying, plunging the room into darkness. Rei could see in the dark, another attribute of his neko-jin heritage. Slowly a green orb started forming above his hand, light gradually brightening the room. He was careful not to brighten it too much, not willing to blind Kai at a crucial moment.  
  
Somehow Verandos get free of Kai; his cold, dead eyes focused on Rei. He approached the neko-jin, knife glowing green in the light. Rei scribed a quick rune in the air before dodging to the left, falling off the bed. The steward yelled, edge of his tunic smoldering. He hit the ground hard, the knight slamming into his back. Kai pressed hard on the man's elbow, breaking it with a loud crack against the stone floor. He pulled the dagger from numb fingers before turning the man over, paying no heed to the broken limb. Verandos cried out, eyes wide with pain.  
  
Candles sprang to life, replacing the green light. The steward stopped breathing as cold steel tickled his throat; frigid mahogany eyes pinned him in place. "Care to tell me what the hell is going on?" The knight's voice was emotionless, which scared the man even further. "Please My Lord, Voltaire's spirit came to me and told me to kill you and the neko-jin." his sentence was cut off as the dagger pricked his skin. Rage danced in the mahogany depths. "I'm bonded to a spirit blade. I would know if Voltaire's spirit was in the castle. And it's not." Verandos opened his mouth to say something, only to be stopped with pain when Kai's fist slammed into his nose, breaking it. There was pounding on the door and Kai got to his feet opening the door to reveal two guards.  
  
The guards picked Verandos up, paying no mind to his broken arm. The older one looked at Kai, waiting for their orders. He took one look at his former steward, eyes filled with disgust. His voice was cold when he finally spoke. "Hang him." The guards nodded and dragged their burden from the room, closing the door behind them.  
  
Rei was standing next to the bed; eyes fixed on the door. Kai moved to stand in front of the neko-jin, one hand reaching out to brush the lightly tanned skin. Rei jumped slightly, before smiling weakly at the slightly taller figure. "Sorry. I'm still a little freaked out." Kai just nodded, thumb brushing gently over the neko-jin's cheek. "Are you alright?" Rei nodded, leaning into Kai's touch, a rumbling purr filling the air.  
  
*****  
  
Kai pulled a sleeveless shirt over his head when two marks on his arm caught his eyes. They were just below his left wrist, grey in color and shaped like claws. He rubbed at them briefly, but when they didn't come off, he shoved the marks to the back of his mind and went to wake his raven- haired bedmate.  
  
"Rei, wake up. We have to get going." Rei rolled over, away from the knight's heat desperately trying to go back to sleep. Kai sighed and grabbed the blankets pulling them off of the neko-jin. One golden eye looked up at him balefully causing him to hide his grin. "What the hell did you do that for?" Rei sat up, blinking like an owl. He slid out of the bed and changed, drawing on a pair of blue pants and a long-sleeved white shirt. He quickly bound his hair and turned to Kai arms wide open. "Happy?" The knight nodded, and opened the bedroom door. The left the room, Kai leading the way to the stables.  
  
*****  
  
"Well here it is. Dalara Castle." Kai nudged Altair's flank urging the great horse into the courtyard. He dismounted and watched as Rei jumped from Altair's back landing with the grace of a feline. He unlatched the saddlebags and handed the reins to a passing page before motioning for the neko-jin to follow him. They entered the castle through the kitchens, Kai wanting to avoid the main hall of the castle for the moment. He was in no mood to deal with his fan group.  
  
They had almost made it to his room when the King and the Court Mage, Naoll appeared at the head of the stairs. The King's eyes lit up as he saw the knight and neko-jin "Ah, Sir Kai you're back. I take it everything went well?" Kai nodded, not liking the way the mage was looking at Rei. The strange feeling he had was back, the presence of the man like rubbing salt in an open wound. Naoll moved closer to Rei, eyes wandering over the lithe form.  
  
"Oh yes, Your Majesty. He is the key to the spell." The King clapped his hands, looking like a little child who had just gotten what he wanted. He grabbed Rei's arm and started dragging him off, chirping like a little bird about Rei's rooms and the Court party they would be having the next day.  
  
Kai got one last glimpse of terrified golden eyes before the raven-haired neko-jin was taken away by the king and mage. He threw open the door to his room and dropped the saddlebags on the floor, digging a long-sleeved shirt out of his chest. He pulled his armor on, and closed the door to his room. He strode down the hallway, long fingers clenched painfully around Dranzer's hilt. *I wonder where Tyson is? * He smirked, ready for a 'friendly spar' with the younger knight.  
  
*****  
  
"Have either of you seen a black haired, golden eyed neko-jin come by?" Max looked at Tyson, before meeting the older knight's mahogany eyes. He nodded. "Yeah, He went into the stables about ten minutes ago." Kai nodded his thanks before taking off at a run for the stables. The knight had not seen Rei for the rest of the day, yesterday and frankly it had him worried. He was the only person at the castle the neko-jin knew and he didn't like having that mage around his kitten.  
  
The stables were almost entirely silent, the only sound the noises associated with horses. He walked down the aisles, knowing exactly were he would find his errant neko-jin. Rei and Altair had formed a special bond on their trip and Rei spent impressive amounts of time with the horse, most of the time grooming the stallion till he shone. He was rewarded with the sound of quiet sniffles when he reached Altair's stall.  
  
He quietly opened the stall door, trying not to disturb horse or neko-jin. He winced when his boot rustled straw on the floor. Rei looked up from his task, golden eyes glazed with tears. He dropped the brush, before throwing himself at the knight. Warm arms wrapped around him, breaking the final dam. The stood like that for several minutes, before Rei's breathing calmed down to a semi-even rhythm. Kai kissed the top of Rei's head, before voicing his question. "Rei what happened?" The neko-jin tightened his grip on Kai's shirt, voice muffled against the black fabric. "Naoll forcibly drained off some of my magic."  
  
Rei could feel the knight's lean muscles tense and he tightened his grip even further, as though trying to keep the knight from killing the mage. "Don't do anything stupid Kai. Just take me someplace I can sleep."  
  
*****  
  
Tala turned the handle to Kai's room; not surprised to find it locked. He set his hand against the lock and pushed some of his magic into the lock and was rewarded by the soft sound of the tumblers falling into place. He opened the door to reveal an empty sitting room, with the bedroom door open on the far wall.  
  
He stopped in his tracks, shocked at the sight in front of him. Kai was sitting against the bed's headboard; arms wrapped around a figure bundled in the down comforter. Mahogany met blue and Kai tilted his head to one side, silently letting Tala know it was okay to enter. The blue-eyed knight sat down on the bed next to Kai, eyes on the sleeping neko-jin. "Who is this?" he asked quietly, not wanting to get on his friend's bad side. "You know that lovely task I had to do for the king?" Tala nodded. "This is the task. His name is Rei." Kai shifted slightly, unfolding his legs, which were starting to go numb. He settled Rei more comfortably against his chest, gently brushing back a piece of raven hair.  
  
"He's a minor mage and Naoll drained off some of his magic. He fell asleep as soon as I got him here." Tala slowly moved a hand towards the neko-jin, hand stopping just short of the black locks. He half-closed his eyes, white- blue light gathering around his hand, before flowing into the sleeping figure. Rei moved restlessly for a second before a deep rumbling purr filled the air. Tala sat back, blue eyes wide in shock. He looked at the other knight, noticing the content light in the mahogany orbs. "He purrs?" Kai settled against the headboard, laying his head on Rei's. "Only when he's content." Tala got to his feet, ready to leave and go see to his own roommate. "Are you going to be at the party tonight?" His only answer was a 'Hn." Which he took to mean in the context of "I don't have much of a choice do I."  
  
He closed both doors, making a silent promise to himself. He would help protect Rei if the neko-jin had that affect on Kai. Tala knew the slate haired knight's entire tale and he was glad that he had finally found some happiness in his life.  
  
*****  
  
"Do I have to go?" Rei tied off the end of his hair, long braid brushing his ankles. "Yes, you do. The king put this on entirely for you." Kai pulled his silk shirt on and smoothed it out, upset that he had to go. Rei walked into the sitting room, putting the final touches on his outfit. He was dressed in black pants with a long-sleeved white shirt and a silk knee length charcoal grey tunic. His normal red headband had been replaced with a grey one embroidered with a white tiger. Kai was tempted to blow off the party and stay in his rooms, particularly the bedroom with the alluring neko-jin. Kai was once again dressed in black and silver, making him look even paler than usual.  
  
The hall was lit by hundreds of mage globes, hanging at various heights throughout the room. The ladies were dressed in gowns of silk and other expensive fabrics, ranging in color from pale pink to darkest blue. The walls glowed, light reflecting off the veins of clear minerals in the stone. Balconies opened to the cool night air, keeping the room comfortable. Half of the room was designated for dancing while the second half was reserved for talking and refreshments.  
  
Kai and Rei managed to locate an open area near one of the balconies, providing them with an escape from the mass of people if they so desired. Kai had just returned from the refreshment table with two goblet of wine when Tyson and Max accosted him. Max was dressed in sky blue robes that matched his eyes. Tyson was dressed in a dark blue silk shirt with billowy sleeves and black pants. "And what god hates me today?" Max and Tyson just smiled at his comment and followed him back over to where Rei was.  
  
"Thanks." The neko-jin took the goblet from Kai's hand; golden eyes focused on the two young knights. Kai held out one hand, gesturing to Max and Tyson. "Max, Tyson, this is Rei." He left introductions there, watching to see how the three would get along. They actually hit it of rather well. He let his attention wander from the three younger men, eyes drifting over the crowd. He noticed many people had at least one eye on this part of the room, hoping to get a glance of the mysterious new Court resident.  
  
Tala watched Kai and Rei discreetly, noticing the way the two interacted around each other. Kai's attitude was very possessive. The closest any one had gotten to the neko-jin was Max and Tyson. Tala was sure that had something to do with the fact that Max and Tyson couldn't hurt a fly. Anyone else that tried to approach had been driven off by a cold glare. He watched Kai tuck a piece of hair behind Rei's ear, fingers lingering longer then absolutely necessary. He slipped behind a group of giggling courtiers, coming out slightly behind the oblivious neko-jin.  
  
Kai looked behind Rei, and was rewarded with the sight of his best friend. "Tala, would you stop acting like a child?" The knight in question just smiled, and came around to stand next to the slate haired knight. "And is there any reason you haven't formally introduced me yet?" Tala asked, voice dripping honey. Kai shook his head, trying to avoid snapping at his friend. "Fine, Rei this is Knight-Mage Tala Baylin. Tala, this is Rei. Happy?"  
  
Tala nodded, taking immense pleasure in getting under his friend's skin. He was about to ask Kai about his holdings when something caught his eye. The king was on a course with them, one of the Duke's daughters in tow. "Um, Kai now might not be a good time, but I think you're about to get ordered to dance." Kai easily found the king and was tempted to jump out of the window. That unfortunately would leave Rei alone. He ran a hand through his hair, stopping when he saw the look on Tala's face. The blue eyes were focused on his left arm, or more precisely on his wrist. "What are those?" He glanced down at the grey marks and shrugged.  
  
"Don't know. I've had them for about two fortnights now. They don't come off. If you'll excuse me." Kai passed by Rei, fingers briefly brushing against Rei's. He stopped the king and bowed, face impassive. The Duke's daughter attached herself to the knight with startling speed, practically dragging him to the dance floor. The knight and neko-jin stood in silence for several minutes before Tala voiced the question that had been plaguing him since he had seen the marks on Kai's arm. Rei was snapped out of his thoughts by the sound of Tala's voice. "Could you repeat that please?"  
  
"Why were you so shocked when you saw those marks?" Rei looked down at his feet briefly before looking up to met blue eyes. "Because," he pushed up the sleeve on his right arm to reveal two marks identical to the ones on Kai's arm. "Because I have them to."  
  
"What the hell does that mean?" The knight watched the neko-jin take a sip of the wine, patiently. "There mate marks. Neko-jin magic chooses the best mate for that particular neko. Each neko-jin has a different mate mark." Tala's eyes were wide with shock. "Are you telling me your magic thought that Kai would be the best mate for you?" Rei nodded eyes riveted on the floor. When he spoke again his voice was so soft it was almost lost in the buzz of voices and music in the background. "This wasn't supposed to happen. I have no control over who it chooses." Slightly callused fingers lifted his chin up, blue meeting tear-hazed gold. A soft thumb brushed away a crystal tear. "Don't worry about it. If I had a choice I would stick you with Kai. You are the only person who has been able to get that far into his shields." Rei gave a slight smile, fangs just barely showing. "Thanks Tala. I really appreciate it."  
  
"No problem. I'll be leaving you now. Your mate is returning and I have to go deal with mine." The neko-jin followed the knight's gaze and was surprised at what he saw. Standing in one corner of the room was a lone figure, almost blending in with the wall behind. Pale purple hair brushed against a white shirt and pale, almost white eyes scanned the room, obviously searching for one person. Tala moved his left hand slightly and disappeared, reappearing next to the purple haired figure.  
  
Kai appeared at this side and took the goblet from his hand, downing it in one go. He handed it to a passing servant before running a hand through his hair, again flashing the grey marks at Rei. Rei knew that he should tell Kai, but something was preventing him. The fear of rejection was more than he could handle at the moment. The knight noticed tenseness in the neko-jin and he moved one hand to the small of Rei's back, slowly moving higher in a circular motion. "You ready to leave?" Rei nodded and the slipped out on to the balcony, silently making their way back to Kai's rooms.  
  
*****  
  
Kai pushed on the library door open; careful not to bump the pile of books that was behind the door. It was beyond Kai how anyone could find anything in the library let alone find the diminutive master of the library. "Kenny, where the hell are you?" His only answer was a sneeze from the very back of the huge room. After several minutes of winding through the canyons of books, the knight found the object of his first search. Sitting at a table underneath a window, was a small petite brunette, small seeing devices balanced on his head. A huge tome was on the scarred table revealing arcane writing. Kenny looked up at the knight, closing the tome. "Sorry Kai. I couldn't hear you. What do you need?"  
  
"A book on neko-jin." He watched as the librarian got to his feet and disappeared into the stacks of books only to return seconds later with a small leather bound book. Kenny settled back down at the table opening to the appropriate page. "Okay. Neko-jin were created hundreds of years ago by mages who bred cats and humans together, trying to get perfect warriors. Over the years, neko-jin started breeding with humans, which lead to the neko-jin looking more human over the years. All neko-jin have some magic ability. No matter how much magic they have all have a protective beast." Kai held up a hand, silencing the librarian. "Back up and explain the protective beast thing."  
  
"All neko-jin have a protective spirit. The spirit is a manifestation of the neko's magic and is sentient." Kai thought back to the vagabonds that had jumped them on the road and the three that had been slashed with what looked like claws. Kenny continued oblivious to the knight's train of thought. "A neko-jin has no choice in their mate. Their magic chooses the best person, usually a person the neko-jin has spent a great deal of time with. A mark forms on both partners, usually within twenty days of meeting each other. Each neko has a different mark. The marks are impossible to remove and if one mate dies, the other will become lethargic and slowly waste away. Anything else you need?"  
  
Kai shook his head and got to his feet, nearly killing himself in the process. Winding between his legs was a tawny cat, apparently hell bent on tripping him. Kenny jumped to his feet and grabbed the cat. "Dizzi, what am I going to do with you. I don't know why you feel you must trip everyone."  
  
*****  
  
Kai looked down at the grey marks on his arm, thoughts going a mile a minute. He finally had an answer to the strange marks. The thought that he was mated to Rei was surprising, but that wasn't bugging him. What was bugging him was the fact that Rei hadn't told him right away. The second thing was the high pitched shrill he could hear. It had started shortly after lunch and hadn't abated in the three hours since. And the sound was not high on his list of things to worry about.  
  
Rei had managed to disappear. Neither Tyson nor Max had seen him, which surprised him. He had thought that the neko-jin would be off with his new friends. The only place in the castle he hadn't checked was Tala's rooms. It was a place of last resort. He knocked on the door and was rewarded with it opening almost immediately. Tala rather than asking what was wrong went back to the couch and knelt down.  
  
Kai walked over to behind the couch and was shocked to see Tala's lover sprawled out on the couch, face lined with pain. "Is now a bad time?" The red headed knight shook his head and placed a cool compress on Bryan's forehead. "No. What do you need."  
  
"A couple of questions answered. First what's with this shrill sound?" Tala sat back on his heels, eyes drifting to the possessed blade that sat on a chair before answering. "Someone's setting up a huge spell. Most people can't hear that sound. Only natural mages or people bonded to possessed items can hear it. That's part of Bryan's problem. Not only is he a powerful mage but also he's bound to Falborg, which adds to his magic. Until that spell is released or used this is going to continue. Your second question?"  
  
Kai ran a hand through his hair, mussing the usually tame strands. "Have you seen Rei? He disappeared after lunch. Nobody's seen him." Tala rewet the towel, taking several minutes to think. "I saw him talking to Naoll, shortly after lunch. I haven't seen him." Before he could complete the sentence Kai was out of the room.  
  
*****  
  
"Shit." The door to the mage's room was warded and the only way he could break it was to spill all of his blood, which was obviously not an option. Kai stood several feet from the door, not willing to get burned to a crisp. No one had asked what he was doing, something he was glad about.  
  
"Kai, what are you doing?" Tyson and Max stopped next to their captain; curious about the strange way he was acting. They nearly jumped out of their skin when he finally spoke. "Go get Tala, he should be in his room. And make sure he brings Wolborg. And move your asses." They took off at a dead run, not wanting to be on the receiving end of their superior's anger.  
  
All three knights were back several minutes later. Kai had not moved mahogany eyes still focused on the iron door. He didn't bother to acknowledge their presence, instead moving right into his problem. "The door's warded. I was hoping that you could do something about that." Now, Tyson being the person he is knew very little about magic. So, in his infinite wisdom, he decided to touch the door and see what would happen. Seconds before he touched the door, strong fingers closed on his shirt collar and dragged him back.  
  
Tala smirked, enjoying watching the younger knight make a fool of himself. He unsheathed his sword, diamond glittering in the blade. White-blue magic crept along the blade, reaching out slowly to touch the door. White and black swirled together, the black slowly eating the white. Mahogany met blue, silently questioning. "It's going to take some time." He turned back to the door ready to try again when Max's voice broke his concentration. "Umm, we have a slight problem." Kai and Tala turned to find seven palace guards bearing down on them.  
  
The men were huge, considerably taller and bulkier then the four knights. The palace guards eyes were vacant, a sure hint that they were being magically controlled. Unfortunately they were armored, another advantage over the knights. Purple, blue and red joined the white light, jewels flashing with an internal light. "Kai we don't have time for this. That spell is going to be complete within fifteen minutes. I don't have time to break the ward and fight them. You're going to have to find another way." Tala's eyes never left Kai's, showing the urgency in his words.  
  
The light of the sun reflected off the floor length windows, giving Kai an idea. "Tala, start working on the ward. Tyson, Max stop the guards. Kill them if absolutely necessary." There was a tinkling of breaking glass and a fresh wind blew through the hall. 


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I don't own it.  
  
A/N: Well here's the end. I'm sorry that this took so long to finish. I want to thank all of you who read and reviewed this story. It was you people that kept me going on this. You all have my deepest thanks for taking time to read this. I hope you enjoy this last installment. Oh, and eventually there will be a lemon for chapter 6, so keep an eye out.  
  
There was a tinkling of breaking glass and a fresh wind blew through the hall. Sunlight reflected off the broken window, edges gleaming with razor sharpness. Tala blocked the downward swing that was set to cut him in half and glanced over his shoulder, eyes widening at the sight of Kai outside the window, precariously balanced on the narrow ledge.  
  
Kai inched along the narrow ledge, fingers finding hidden nooks and crannies to slid and anchor in. The wind buffeted the building, slamming against the wall before moving up the wall, creating an updraft. The shrill ringing sound increased, grinding on Kai's mind. The sky suddenly darkened, forcing the knight to remove his eyes from the task at hand.  
  
The moon was slowly moving in front of the sun, casting the world into a darkness that would be over in moments. Dranzer was urging him on, the spirit knowing that the spell would come to completion when the sun was fully covered. Kai picked up his pace, carefully stepping over the crumbling stones of the ledge. The wind picked up again, seemingly trying to pull the knight form his perilous perch.  
  
"Shit." The windows were heavily covered, blocking any light and any way for Kai to see into the room. Something seemed to draw him to the room and he decided to go with it. He followed his link back to Dranzer, tapping into the spirit blade's magic and let go with one hand, tracing the rune for fire in the air, focusing on the glass pane in front of him. Slowly the glass started melting, running like thick water into the room and sticking to the curtains, weighing them down.  
  
*****  
  
There was a scream and Tala turned from his work on the door to find Max flat on his back. The blonde knight had slipped on the blood-slicked floor, his sword sliding across the floor to land hanging out of the window Kai had broken. One of the guards was standing over the fallen knight, ready to drive the two-handed sword through the blonde's unprotected body. Tala's eyes slid half shut, words of a spell falling from his parted lips. White- blue magic moved form his body to the guard's, following unseen currents of air. Leather and skin caught fire, causing a yell to rise from the entranced guard. The smell of burning flesh quickly filled the hall. Max clamped one hand over his nose and mouth, trying to keep from breathing in the horrible stench.  
  
Tyson's sword slashed through a guard's armor, spilling long, slimy cords of innards from the slash. The guard stumbled back, hands desperately trying to hold the intestines in. He stumbled back even further only to come to the wall. He slid down, eyes wide and unseeing. Tyson cleaned Dragoon off before slipping the blade back into its scabbard; navy eyes focused on the dead guard. This was the fourth guard he'd killed and it was chewing at his thoughts. He had been a knight for the past year and he had never once actually killed anyone. And the fact that the guards had been under control was even worse. Tyson picked up Draciel and sat down next to Max, who was sitting next to the wall, eyes closed.  
  
*****  
  
Kai stepped over the cooling glass and pushed the curtain to one side, careful not to let any light into the room. Torches lined all the walls with the exception of the one containing the windows, which left the knight in shadows. A single, huge brazier sat in one corner of the room, herbs burning on the coals. A battered and scared worktable stood in one corner; various mage items scattered across the wooden top.  
  
In the center of the room stood an altar of some kind. The black stone or wood was slightly tilted towards the floor, blood channels draining into a large stone basin on the floor. Rei was strapped to the table; long ebony strands still wrapped in their white binding. Naoll was standing over the neko-jin, fingers of one hand tracing over the slightly tanned cheek. Golden eyes were glowing with a feral light, fangs bared. "Such a beautiful neko. Your blood will be perfect." One hand slipped into a sleeve, reappearing with a serrated stone knife. A feeble green light started to form around Rei and Kai knew without a doubt that it was Rei's spirit beast. The green light brightened momentarily before dying out. Naoll had locked Rei's guardian.  
  
Dranzer came free of his sheath with no sound, yet something alerted the mage to the knight's presence. Naoll turned fingers of one hand still resting on Rei's cheek. "So the brave knight has finally appeared. Took you longer then I thought." He flicked his hand to one corner of the room and the king stepped out, wearing a leather breastplate and carrying a two- handed sword. The king moved forward, eyes glazed with madness and hate. "You can't stop Naoll! He promised I could have Nada back!" He lunged forward sword held high overhead.  
  
Kai stepped to one side surprised that the King was planning on bringing his dead wife back. It suddenly clicked in Kai's mind that Kenny had said that neko-jin blood was an important component of many spells, especially ones used by necromancers. Dranzer swung around, slicing into the leather of the king's back plate, biting into flesh, drawing first blood.  
  
*****  
  
"Damn it. How many fucking wards did he stick on this door?" Tala broke another ward, the third in ten minutes. The first of the wards had been the biggest. The rest were ones that needed to be broken if he didn't want to be flung down the hallway. Tyson got to his feet and moved to stand next to the redhead, reaching out to touch the door. There was a loud thud as Tyson hit the floor and skidded. Max was laughing, while at the same time trying to make sure that Tyson was okay. Tala ignored them and returned to breaking the wards.  
  
*****  
  
The blade cut along Kai's arm, tip of the sword dipping in to draw blood. He let out a barely audible hiss of pain and moved back, watching his blood drip to the floor. A slight flick of his wrist, twisted Dranzer, bringing the sword to crash against the blade of the king's sword. The knight quickly unlocked his blade from the larger sword, bringing the spirit blade, up in a diagonal cut across the breastplate. The sword bit into the leather and the skin underneath, tearing the soft lung tissue into ribbons.  
  
Blood trickled from the open wound, staining the white silk shirt. The king slumped to his knees; eyes focused on the knight in front of him with disbelief. The king remembered when he had Knighted Kai, and the slate- haired knight's promise to protect the king. Before he died his last sight was cold mahogany eyes before his face hit the hard stone floor with a resounding crack.  
  
Kai turned to face Naoll, eyes burning with hate. The mage had the knife resting lightly against Rei's throat, black eyes lit with humor. "That was faster then I expected. Now it looks like you'll have to watch your precious mate die. The blade pressed against the tan throat, drawing the slightest trail of blood. Rei closed his eyes, trying not to let out a sound. Dranzer dipped down, tip resting against the stone floor. "What are you going to do?" Naoll's head jerked slightly and he frowned. "What do you care Knight? I thought you were here to stop me."  
  
Kai shrugged, eyes quickly flicking to the bound neko-jin. "I might be able to help you. You need some help in the physical department." Golden eyes flew open, glinting with betrayal and hurt. Kai flashed the marks at Rei, hoping that the neko-jin would catch on. Understanding flashed in the gold depths and he closed his eyes again, slowly working on the wards that restricted his guardian. The knight moved closer to the mage, never looking away. "I can help you. I know that you plan to take over the country. Why else would you use the king as a pawn. I can help you control the guards and knights. They're all under me." He sheathed Dranzer as he moved even closer to the mage.  
  
Naoll shook his head. "No. I know how that works. You claim to help me and then you kill me in my sleep, taking over. That's not going to happen," he started cackling insanely. "That's not going to happen because I'm going to kill you now!" A black fireball appeared on one hand and he tossed it at the knight, just barely missing when Kai dodged to the right, the fireball exploding right next to him. Dranzer came out of the sheath, red jewel burning with an inner flame.  
  
*****  
  
"Tala, hurry up." Max winced as the sound of a second explosion came through the door. The redhead didn't answer, sweat rolling down his body as he tried to break the final wards on the door. Tyson was pacing along the hall, avoiding the bodies strewn throughout the hall. There was a sudden rush of air from the door and Tala slid to his knees, supporting himself on Wolborg. "There's one more ward. Max give me Draciel." The blonde handed his sword to the older knight, watching as purple magic mixed with the small amount of white-blue magic that sat in the knight's hand. Tala pressed his hand against the door, purple and white pushing against the black that covered the door.  
  
The black moved over the purple and white, slowly pushing it back. Blue swirled in with the purple and white, covering the black. Max looked over his shoulder to find Tyson standing behind Tala, Dragoon drawn, blue magic swirling along the blade. "Sorry that took so long. Dragoon just told me what to do." Tala got to his feet, the hand on the door shaking. "The wards are broken. We just need a key." Max and Tyson looked at each other with blank looks. "A key. Can't you just use your magic?" Ice blue eyes focused on the two knights. I've all but drained my magic. If I use anymore I'll.." He trailed off as an idea came to mind.  
  
Eyes slid shut and he traced his link to Wolborg and then followed a second link further to the pendent that hung around Bryan's neck. A link from the pendent led to the lavender-haired mage's mind. In simple pictures he related his idea and was filled with a flow of familiar magic. He placed one hand against the look and pushed, magic causing the tumblers to fall into place.  
  
*****  
  
Rei some how managed to get loose from the altar. He dropped down next to it and went back to trying to break the wards on his guardian. Periodically there would be a sound of metal clashing against something, but he couldn't bring himself to look. Until he could get his magic back under his control, he was more of a liability then help.  
  
Kai dodged another fireball, Dranzer calling for blood. "Damn mages." Kai moved forward slightly, trying to get close enough to actually bring his sword into play. Naoll had done an exceptional job of staying just outside of the reach of Dranzer. Kai threw himself forward in a front somersault, feeling a fireball explode just over him. He came to his feet right in front of Naoll and pushed forward, his blade sinking deep into the mage's stomach. Dranzer's jewel pulsed, finally satiated as blood ran over the blade. The mage looked down in horror; eyes focused on the blade that was sunk into his stomach.  
  
Black met mahogany and Kai smirked. "You were wrong. I didn't kill you in your sleep. I hope you burn in hell." He gave a sharp twist to the blade before pulling it out and turning away. Naoll held one hand over his wound, the other tracing an intricate pattern in the air, leaving behind black trails. The pressure in the room increased to an almost unbearable high. "I may be going to hell Hiwatari, but I'm bringing you with me!" One finger pointed at the knight, black magic gathering around the digit. Kai turned and watched as a jet of black magic shot at him.  
  
The following seconds were a mass of confusion for the knight. There was a flash of green in his vision and he felt himself flying through the air. When he landed the air was knocked out of him and he lay on the floor for several seconds, trying to regain his breath. He propped himself up on one elbow only to be thrown back as a raven-haired neko-jin landed on top of him. "Oh god Kai! I just barely managed to get Driger unward-" Rei was cut off by arms wrapping around him, pulling him closer to the hard, slim body that belonged to his mate.  
  
Warm breath ghosted across his neck and lips brushed across the pale skin. They lay like that for several seconds before Kai sat up, something digging into his back. He released Rei with one arm and reached back, hand closing around the knife that was still stained with blood. He idly tossed it away, stopping when he heard it hit something soft. His eyes widened and Rei followed his gaze, golden eyes closing in revulsion.  
  
Naoll was slumped against one wall. A hole the size of an apple was in his chest, allowing the knight and neko-jin to see the wall through the hole. The knife Kai had thrown was embedded between Naoll's eyes and the mage's entire right arm was missing.  
  
Kai ran one hand through Rei's hair, which had somehow come unbound during the battle. "Rei?" The neko-jin in question raised his head from its place on Kai's chest, golden eyes questioning. "What happened?" Rei settled down on his seat more, leaning back against the knight. "Just after Naoll released his final attack I managed to get Driger unwarded. He knocked you out of the way of the spell. The spell was especially designed to kill anything human. Since Dranzer shrouded you in his aura after Driger knocked you, the spell didn't realize that you're human. Since I'm not entirely human it didn't come after me. Naoll was the only thing the "human" in the room at the time the spell attacked him." A shudder wracked his lithe body as he remembered the look of horror on the mage's face as the black magic slammed into him.  
  
A low growl filled the room and Kai turned to see a huge, luminous green tiger in front of the door, eyes intently fixed on the slowly opening door. A redhead appeared in the door, followed by a blonde head and a navy one. "Would some one call off the cat?" A second growl escaped the tiger. "Driger, leave them alone and come back here." Green eyes turned on to the neko-jin and the tiger faded green light flowing back into the lithe body. Tala, Tyson and Max came into the room, eyes wandering over the destruction. The two younger knights avoided looking at the mage's body, even as their eyes were drawn to the king's body. Tala was carefully going through the items on the worktable when he heard Tyson yelling at Kai.  
  
"Did you have to kill the King?" Tyson's face was turning red as he yelled at the knight-captain who was still on the floor, arms wrapped around the neko-jin in his lap. "No, Tyson, I didn't. I was going to let him kill me. Could you shut up for ten seconds!" Kai was not in the mood for dealing with anyone at the moment. He just wanted to go back to his rooms with Rei and sleep for several days straight. Max, seeing that Kai was starting to lose his temper quickly pulled Tyson away from the older knight, worried that his friend might do something stupid. "Tyson, just give him a couple minutes." The navy haired knight nodded, eyes fastened on the king's body.  
  
Tala knelt down next to his friend, eyes going to the wound on Kai's arm. "Are you two okay?" He received two nods. "Come on guys, lets get you two downstairs so we can have someone look at those wounds." Kai and Rei got to their feet, leaning on each other for support and comfort.  
  
*****  
  
"Watch it!" The healer kept working on the wound on the neko-jin's neck, paying no attention to the dirty looks she was receiving from the knight on the other side of the room. Kai sucked in a hasty breath as a second healer poked at the cut on his arm. With in seconds the wound was healed, the only mark, a scar, slightly darker then the surrounding skin. Both healers gathered their supplies up, not wanting to stay around the knight for longer then absolutely necessary. Tala leaned back in his chair, eyes idly sweeping over the stones in the wall. "So Kai, what are you going to tell the nobles?" Kai didn't answer right away, instead changing into a clean shirt. "I don't really care what they think. Right now I just want to sleep."  
  
Blue eyes drifted to the door of the bedroom where Rei was, changing into clean clothing. Tala knew what was going to happen. He got to his feet and grabbed Wolborg who was lying on the floor by his feet. "I'll see you two later. Right now I have to go check to see that the guards are keeping everyone from Naoll's room." He closed the door behind him and made sure that it was locked. Kai made his way to the bedroom, silently closing the door behind him.  
  
Rei was about to pull a shirt on when warm hands pulled the shirt away, tossing it to land on the floor somewhere. The same warm hands trailed over his back, tracing patterns over the silken skin. "There's really no need for you to put that shirt on Rei." Warm breath tickled over his neck as he leaned back against the cloth-covered body behind him. "I know that. So," he turned, pulling the black fabric over the knight's head. "Why did you put a shirt on?" Kai shrugged, one hand moving closer to the edge of Rei's pants while the second moved higher, tangling in the raven strands. One tan hand stroked over the triangles on the knight's cheek, grey marks flashing in mahogany eyes.  
  
Slim fingers brushed over the marks. Rei looked down at the floor. "I'm sorry Kai. I meant to tell you but then everything fell apart and, well I guess you're stuck with me." Callused fingers caressed his chin, tilting his head up. Kai brushed his thumb over the neko-jin's lips. Gold met mahogany and Kai smiled a rare occurrence. "Don't worry about it. I think I can handle having only you in my life." Rei didn't answer, instead flicking his tounge out to brush against the knight's finger. One slate eyebrow rose and Rei smiled, flashing fang.  
  
"What's wrong Rei, not enough excitement today?" The neko-jin's smile widened and he climbed on to the bed, golden eyes shining with desire. Kai pushed Rei down, setteling comfortably over him, balanced on his elbows, lower bodies brushing together. Warm breath moved across his neck, followed by soft ghostly touches, calculated to drive him to the edge. Rei allowed his hands to wander, one hand dipping under the edge of Kai's pants to trace the scar that started on the knight's hip. A low moan escaped the knight's throat as the finger traced the scar. Kai pressed a kiss to the tip of Rei's pointed ear. "You're evil Rei. I love you."  
  
Fangs raked over the skin of his neck, raising goosebumps along his entire body. Warm hands danced down his body, teasing for moments before moving on. One of Kai's hands slid lower and the neko-jin unconsciously arched his body, fitting with the knight seamlessly. "I love you too you evil bast." His voice died as that one hand moved lower and lips closed over his, effectively silencing him.  
  
THE END.  
  
A/N: I finished! 


End file.
